Life Goes On: Keeping it Together
by Lissical
Summary: Sixth story in the Life Goes On series. The summary is inside. Yes, I'm writing yet another story in the series. FINAL CHAPTER NOW UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Keeping it Together**

**Author: Lisa (Lissical)**

**Summary: Sequel to "Just Like Us." It is two years later and things in our favorite families' lives are…well…let's just say that they're all just trying to keep it together!**

**Disclaimer: I own the made up characters and the plot. Everything else belongs to Disney.**

**A/N: This story is dedicated to all of you who requested that I make a sequel. So here it is! I finally came up with something, so I hope you like it. **

**A/N #2: Okay I wanted to only make this a couple of years into the future because I have a few things up my sleeve, LOL. One of them is coming at the beginning of the story. Also, here are the ages of everyone: Larissa: 11; Ana: 9; Kayleigh and Zachary: 7; Theresa and Katie: 13; Michael: 8; Madison: 5; and Liam: 2.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 1**_

It was now September, which meant the beginning of yet another school year. So far, things seemed to be going just fine in the Bolton home. Ana was getting ready for her first day as a 4th grader, Kayleigh and Zachary were about to become 2nd graders, and Larissa was entering 6th grade: middle school. She was rather excited, but nervous at the same time. Her mom did teach Drama after all. Ana since Larissa loved acting, she of course signed up for the class. The only odd part would be having her mom…for a teacher.

So far it was a typical morning: Ana, Kayleigh, and Zachary were all downstairs finishing up breakfast while Larissa was still upstairs. Sharpay looked at her watch and sighed. She walked to the stairs, "Larissa what is taking you so long," she called. "You are going to be late!" She was about to call her name again after she didn't hear Larissa answer, but instead she heard a loud…

"AHHH! Mommy help!"

Sharpay hurried up the stairs and into Larissa's room, "Honey, what's…" But Larissa wasn't there. "Larissa, where are you?"

"I'm in the bathroom," she called. "Help me, mom!" She cried.

Sharpay walked to the door and knocked on it, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Larissa opened the door, "Mom I think I'm dying!" She gestured to the blood she had just discovered.

Sharpay sighed in relief and smiled, "Congratulations honey!"

Larissa just looked at her mom as if she were from Mars, "Congratulations? Mom, how could you say that? I'm dying! I'm bleeding and I don't know why," she cried.

She shook her head, "No sweetie, you are having your first period," Sharpay said calmly.

"I knew it! I'm d…wait, my first what," she asked, actually hearing her mom speak for the first time that morning.

Sharpay closed the door behind her and explained to her daughter what was going on. As she was, Troy happened to walk by. As he did, he heard yet another…

"AAAHHH! I can't get that now!"

He paused for a moment and shook his head, "Nah." He continued to walk down the stairs to the kitchen, "Good morning," he greeted his other three children. "Is everyone ready for their first day?"

Zachary nodded, "Yep and I'm going to be able to tryout for basketball this year," he said excitedly. One had to be at least 7 years old and in 2nd grade to tryout for the elementary school basketball team ((yes, I know many schools don't have those…I'm making this up)) and Zachary was planning on doing exactly that…when it came time for tryouts anyway.

Troy smiled at his son, "You sound just like me when I was your age," he said proudly. "And when tryouts roll around, I'm sure you're going to do a great job." He turned to Kayleigh, "And are you ready honey?"

She nodded, "Yes; I want to be in the play this year! And now Larissa can't get a part," she said in a sing-song voice.

"That's great Kayleigh, but I don't exactly care for the last part," he said warningly.

"Sorry," she said softly. Last year, Larissa and Kayleigh had both tried out for the school play, _The Princess and the Pea_ and Larissa had, as usual, won a bigger role than Kayleigh. "I still want to be in the play though," she said, quickly regaining her newfound attitude; one that was very similar to her sister's.

Tory just nodded, "Sounds good honey." He looked over at Ana who was concentrating on some math homework; although school hadn't even started yet, Ana was told that because she was so good in math, she was getting the chance to do some advanced work; math that the advanced 5th graders would normally do. "How's the math coming," Troy asked.

No answer.

"Ana," he said again. "Hello?"

No answer.

Kayleigh rolled her eyes, "Ana!" She screamed.

She looked up, "Huh?"

"Daddy is talking to you, duh."

"Kayleigh, attitude," Troy said crossly. He looked over at Ana, "How's the math coming?"

She shrugged, "Pretty good I think…I'm almost done," she said, getting back to it.

"Honey I don't think that the teacher said you had to finish it just yet," Troy said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping she wasn't trying too hard.

She looked up at him and frowned, "But I need to!" If there was one thing Ana always needed, it was structure and routine; something that her school had both of.

"All right," he said as he kissed her head, "Just don't try too hard, okay?"

She nodded, "I know."

Larissa stomped down the stairs, "Daddy tell her I can't go to school! I can't die!" She yelled.

Troy just looked at Larissa and then at Sharpay who was behind her, "Um…I highly doubt that you're dying," he said as he saw Sharpay mouth what it was that Larissa had.

"How could you take her side?" She yelled dramatically as she placed her head in her arms and cried.

Kayleigh shook her head, "You're weird," she said as she got up and got her backpack.

"Don't start young lady," Sharpay warned. "And…have a great first day," she said as she hugged her. "Zachary, if I find out that you try to scare Tara again by placing those gummy worms in her lunch, you will not be playing basketball, got it?"

"But mommy," he tried to protest.

She simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fine," he said, giving in and taking out the small bag of gummy worms from his backpack. Little did she know that he had another bag in there.

Troy tried his best not to laugh; it wasn't working very well. "Ahem, what she said, Zachary," he said as he tried to keep a straight face. "Come on." He looked over at Ana who was still sitting down working on her homework, "Ana, time to go."

She looked up at him, "Okay," she said as she got up. "Mommy will I do okay?"

She nodded, "You're going to be just fine, sweetie." She hugged her and said her goodbyes to her three younger children. She then turned to Larissa, "All right my little drama queen, it's time to go."

Larissa looked up at her dad, "Daddy don't make me go!"

"Honey you'll do just fine; and no you're not dying," he said with a smile. He kissed her head and went to catch up with the others.

"Mommy I can't go," she whined as she picked up her backpack. "People will say I'm weird," she said as she looked at the little pad her mom had given her.

"No they won't," Sharpay said, stuffing it into Larissa's backpack. "And if we don't go now, you'll be receiving your very first detention."

Larissa decided that now was a good time to hurry out to the garage.

"Gets 'em every time," she said to herself as she walked into the garage.

* * *

**Haha, so yeah that was the first chapter. Don't worry, the other families will come into play; but I wanted to focus on Troy and Sharpay's family first. So what do you think so far? And yes, this idea is from a bunch of ideas you all gave me…condensed, LOL. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay wow, thanks for all the reviews! They are truly appreciated, everyone! And yes, I'm going to be including everyone else as well.**

**A/N: I can't believe I did this (or that no one caught it!), but when I mentioned the ages of the kids, I left out Angela! Well she is 5.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**  
_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 2**_

**Evans Home…**

Gabi looked at her watch, "Theresa if you don't come downstairs right now, you're going to miss the bus!" This was the first year that Theresa was going to be taking the bus to school; something that she hadn't really wanted to do before, but ever since she discovered that Jordan…her now official boyfriend was taking it (and he was on the same route), she decided that she wanted to take it as well.

She hurried downstairs, "Coming," she said as she walked into the kitchen. "Okay I'm going now, bye." She was about to hurry out the door when Gabi stopped her.

"Hang on my little 8th grader, aren't you forgetting something?" Gabi tilted her head towards the lunch sitting on the counter.

"Oh…right." She placed the lunch into her backpack, "Can I go now mom, please?"

Ryan walked over to her and kissed her head, "You have a great first day, all right? We'll see you when you get home and if you at any time decide to not take the bus, just…"

"Dad, I'll be fine," she said to her overprotective father. "And I'm not 6 years old anymore," she said as she walked to the door. "Anyway, can I go now?"

Gabi nodded, "Yes, but have you eaten breakfast?"

"Oops…"

"Here," Ryan said as he handed her a breakfast bar. "See you when you get home," he said as he walked back into the kitchen where Liam had decided to dump his bowl of oatmeal all over the table.

"Bye sweetie," Gabi said as she opened the door for her daughter. "Have a great day." She watched as her daughter walked down the sidewalk to the end of street where the bus stop was and couldn't help but to smile; her little girl was no longer little. She was growing up…just a little too quickly for Gabi and Ryan, even though they knew they had to let it happen. She walked back inside and gathered her things together, "Michael are you done honey? We need to get going since today is your first day of 3rd grade," she said with a smile. She then looked over at Angie, "And it's your first day of kindergarten!"

Angie just sat there, "I don't want to go," she pouted.

Ryan finished cleaning up Liam's mess and walked over to her, "And why is that sweetheart?"

"Because I want to see Miss Terri," she said, wiping her eyes. Miss Terri was Angie's preschool teacher last year who Angie had grown very fond of.

Ryan picked her up, "I know honey, but you know what?"

"What?"

"Mommy is going to be at the same school as you and so is Michael." He smiled, hoping that this would reassure her.

She wiped the remaining tears away and looked at Gabi, "Can you stay with me?"

"No honey, I can't; but you're going to be too busy having so much fun that you won't even realize that I'm not there," she said as she took Angie from Ryan.

Ryan looked at the clock, "Speaking of school, if you don't get going now, you're going to be late." He picked Liam up, "And I'll get Liam to school so don't worry about that."

She nodded, "Thank you." She walked over to the two, "Okay Liam, mommy has to go bye-bye," she said as she kissed his head. "Be a good boy." She turned to Ryan, "I'll see you later."

"All right…and Gabi?"

"Yes?"

He kissed her, "Good luck," he said with a smirk.

"Gee, thanks." She kissed him once more. "Michael please get your lunch and Angie, here is your new backpack and your lunchbox, okay? I'm putting it into your bag," Gabi said as she showed her exactly what she was doing, just so Angie would know here her lunch was.

"But I don't want to go," she cried.

"Be quiet, Angie," Michael said as he walked to the garage.

Gabi sighed and looked over at Ryan who was trying to contain his own laughter. "You're so much help, thanks," she said as she tried to keep a straight face.

After they left, Ryan looked at Liam, "Please tell me you're ready to go to school."

Liam just smiled, "Okay…I weady!"

"Thank goodness we have one normal child," he muttered to himself as he got Liam ready for preschool.

* * *

**Cross Home…**

Katie walked over to her parents, "Is this outfit okay?"

Kelsi smiled, "Oh that's so cute honey. I love it."

"Cute? But it is supposed to be cool mom," she groaned as she ran back up to her room and changed.

"Are we going to be going through this everyday," Jason said as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Welcome to life of living with a teenager," Kelsi said. "The roller coaster has only just begun."

Jason looked over at Madison who was smiling. "At least you're happy about school," he said as he ruffled her hair.

"Daddy I get to go to kinderg…kinder…kinderg…school!"

Jason suppressed a laugh, "That's right honey, you do; and it's kindergarten," he said slowly for her.

She thought for a moment, "Kindergar…kindgart…kindergarten. I said it, daddy!" She beamed.

Kelsi smiled, "Very good sweetie," she said to the five year old.

Jason hear footsteps descending on the stairs, "Here we go again…I'm guessing the word 'cute' is no longer acceptable."

She nodded, "You guessed right." She looked over at Katie who was walking over to them.

"Is this one okay," she asked. She was now sporting blue jeans and her 'I Love (which was a heart, not the word 'love') New York' shirt.

Kelsi nodded, "Perfect; you look very…nice," she said, trying to find the right word that would suit her 13 year old.

Katie smiled, "Finally," she muttered as she sat down. She looked at the clock and quickly stood up again, "I'm going to miss the bus!"

"I can drive you if you'd like honey," Jason said.

"Dad I'm in 8th grade! No one's parents drive them to school when they're in 8th grade," she scoffed. **(Yes, I know that's not true, LOL. My mom occasionally drove me to school when I was in 8th grade)**

He sighed, "But Katie…"

"Dad, I want to take the bus," she said adamantly.

He nodded, "Okay, but you're going to have to get a good running start."

"Huh?"

He gestured to the window where the bus was now leaving.

Her eyes went wide, "No! This can't happen," she whined. "I'm going to look like a freak if people see my parents driving me to school."

Kelsi rolled her eyes, "Oh stop it already Katherine," she said, now quite annoyed with her daughter's attitude. "Just consider yourself lucky that I don't make you walk to school," she said firmly.

She nodded, clearly defeated, "Fine." She sat back down and twirled her spoon around in her cereal. She quickly looked up at both parents, "But can dad at least drive me?"

"And why is that," Kelsi asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"His car is cooler," she said.

Jason sighed and looked at Kelsi who just nodded. "All right I'll drive you, but I don't want to hear you whine even once," he said as he got up to get his things.

She nodded, "Fine." She turned to her mom, "Bye mom," she said as she hugged her, surprising Kelsi.

"Uh…bye sweetie," Kelsi said, a smile now on her face. "Have a wonderful day." She turned her attention to Madison, "Are you about ready honey?"

Madison nodded, "Uh-huh…will I like it," she asked as she got up and walked over to her Sleeping Beauty backpack and picked it up.

"You're going to love it," she said as she placed Madison's lunch into the bag.

"Okay," she said, satisfied with that answer.

Kelsi smiled and kissed Jason goodbye and left with Maddy.

"Oh how fun this will be," Jason muttered to himself as Katie looked at the contents of her lunch.

"Dad can I buy my lunch today please," she asked in a 'sweet' tone.

He shook his head, "Nope. Now had you asked that before your mom made this lunch, I might have reconsidered."

"Ugh!" She picked up her backpack and threw her lunch inside, "I'm ready," she said flatly.

"I'm not," he murmured.

* * *

Sharpay rubbed her temples as she pulled up to the elementary school. "Larissa for the last time, you are not dying; you simply have your first period," she said, now annoyed. 

Larissa pouted, "This isn't fair," she said as she looked out the window.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and looked over at Ana, Kayleigh, and Zach. "Have a wonderful day, kids," she said with a smile. "And Zachary, remember what I said."

He nodded, "I know, mommy," he said as he got out of the car, a small smirk on his face. He still had the other bag of gummy worms in his backpack.

Kayleigh looked at Larissa as she got out, "At least you can't be in _my _school play," she said.

"Enough Kayleigh," Sharpay yelled unexpectedly. "I mean…that is enough," she said in a softer voice.

Kayleigh frowned and walked towards the school, glancing back at her sister and sticking her tongue out at her.

"Mom," Larissa whined.

"Not now, Larissa," Sharpay said as if she was about to explode. She looked back at Ana, "Have a great day sweetie; and remember, you are going to do a great job, I know it."

Ana smiled, "Thank you mommy," she said, getting out of the car.

Sharpay drove away from the school and drove to the middle school, praying that her migraine would go away.

As she pulled up to the parking lot of the middle school, her migraine was nearly gone…

"Mom what if they make fun of me for this," Larissa whined.

…And the migraine was back. "Honey, they won't make fun of you; now if you don't stop this whining of yours right now, I might just have to tell my students of the lovely morning we've had so far," she said looking pointedly at Larissa.

Larissa looked straight ahead, eyes wide with fear, "Okay," she squeaked out. She got out of the car and looked at her schedule, "Um mom?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell anyone," she pleaded.

Sharpay smiled softly, "As long as you stop saying that you're dying, I will keep my mouth shut."

She nodded, "Okay," she said quietly. "I just got…scared," she said as she walked into the school.

"I know honey; but you're just fine and you will be just fine. Now get to your first class before the bell rings," she said, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Okay…bye," she said.

"See you at 4th period," Sharpay said as she walked down the hall in the opposite direction. She felt her migraine start to come back, "No, not today," she groaned.

* * *

**I did it! A longer chapter! Anyway, I hope you liked how I sort of got each family in there. I am going to try…I repeat TRY to do that for either every chapter or almost every chapter, since each child has some weird issue. As one of the people who reviewed "Just Like Us" said, these kids are loony. I'm sorry, but I forgot who said that!**

**Anyway, please review and if you have suggestions/ideas for the next chapter, do share! And is Sharpay's migraine really just a migraine?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, thank you to so many of you who suggested things that I could work with. I'm going to try and use at least a couple of them. Please bear with me!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 3**_

Theresa walked down the hall as the last bell of the day rang. She was doing her best to hold back the tears that were threatening to make their way down her cheeks. She walked to a bench and sat down, not wanting to get on the bus…that bus where he was going to be; with her.

Katie, who was walking down the hall with a friend, saw Theresa just sitting there. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

The girl nodded, "Okay see you later." She walked to her bus.

Katie walked over to Theresa, "Hey, what's up," she asked as she sat down next to her friend.

"I'm fine," Theresa said, looking in the other direction so Katie couldn't see the tears in her eyes.

"Yeah right and I'm the Easter bunny," Katie said. "Come on what's wrong?"

Theresa took a deep breath and turned to face Katie, "It's Jordan," she said quietly.

"What about him?"

"He…he dumped me," she said, feeling the tears start to fall down her face.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

She shook her head, "But that isn't the whole story," she said, wiping her eyes. "He dumped me because…he met someone else," she said, more tears starting to fall down her face.

"That stinks," Katie said, not knowing how else to comfort her.

"Yeah, and what stinks even more is that it was Kari…my best friend who he was seeing!" She was now crying freely.

Katie simply put her arms around Theresa and hugged her, "That really, really stinks." She pulled out a packet of tissues that she had in her backpack, "Here," she said, handing a tissue.

"Thanks," Theresa said as she took it and wiped her eyes. She looked over at the bus, "Great, there goes my ride," she said to herself.

"My mom is picking me up…I'll be she could give you a ride home if you want," she offered.

Theresa nodded, "Thanks."

Katie looked straight ahead, "Oh, there she is," she said, getting up. "Come on."

Theresa followed Katie to the car.

Katie opened the door, "Hi mom," she said, placing her backpack into the car.

"Hi, how was your day?"

She shrugged, "All right I guess…just a typical first day of school…oh, can we give Theresa a ride home? She…missed the bus," Katie said as she looked over at Theresa who was mouthing 'don't tell her.'

"Yeah I think we can do that," she said, smiling at Theresa, "Come on in," she said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cross," she said as she walked to the other side of the car (since Maddy was already in the car) and climbed in.

As Kelsi was driving, she looked in the rearview mirror and saw Theresa wiping her eyes. "Is everything okay, Theresa?"

She looked up, "Yes, it's my…allergies," she said, hoping Kelsi would believe her.

"Okay," she said, not fully believing her. "Here we are," she said a few minutes later.

Theresa slowly got out of the car, "Thanks for the ride," she said, wiping her eyes again.

"You're welcome…and you may want to talk to your parents about your 'allergies,'" she said, eyeing Theresa.

She nodded, "I will." She walked into the house, "I'm home," she said weakly.

Gabi walked over to her, "Hi there; I saw the bus pass by about 15 minutes ago. Where were you?"

"Oh…I missed it," she said as she felt her eyes moisten again. "Um Katie's mom gave me a ride home," she said as she tried to avoid eye contact with her mom.

Angie walked up to her sister, "Why are you crying?"

"Darn," she said to herself as she sat down at the table.

"Theresa, what's wrong," Gabi asked as she sat down next to Theresa.

"Jordan…he…dumped me," she said, now sobbing again.

* * *

"Come on Larissa, we have to go," Sharpay said as she gathered her things.

"I'm coming," she said, walking over to her mom. "I had to…uh…"

Sharpay nodded, "I get it," she said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," she said as she followed her mom out to the car. They drove to the elementary school.

"Hi mommy," Kayleigh said as she got into the car, Ana close behind.

"Hi sweetie how was your day," Sharpay asked.

Kayleigh shrugged, "Fine…I'm going to be in the fall play…and you can't beat me this time," she said to Larissa with a smug tone.

"Kayleigh," Sharpay said in a warning tone.

Larissa simply rolled her eyes, "It's okay, at least I will be able to join the drama club," she said, making sure to raise her eyes at her sister.

"That is enough girls," Sharpay said, becoming quite annoyed. She sighed, "How was your day, Ana?"

"Good, my teacher gave me 5th grade math homework she said proudly.

Sharpay smiled, "That's great sweetheart."

"Um where's Zach," Larissa asked after a minute.

"Oh he's got a basketball thing; your dad is going to pick him up," she said as she drove away from the school and drove home.

* * *

Zach made his way into the gym where he saw a couple of his friends from his class. He was going to make the team this year, he just knew it. He looked at the entrance and saw his dad walk in. "Hi daddy," he said as he walked over to him.

"Hey buddy," Troy said. "I figured I'd come watch you tryout."

"Okay," he said with a smile. "I'm going to make the team, dad," he said with confidence.

"Zachary Bolton," the coach called.

Zach walked over to the coach, "That's me," he said.

The coach nodded, "All right, I want you to try and make a basket from the free throw line," he said.

Zach groaned; this had always been his weak spot in basketball. "Okay," he said nervously. He took the basketball, walked to the free throw line, and threw the ball just like Troy had taught him to. The ball flew through the air and hit the rim, but didn't go into the basket. "Rats," he said to himself.

The coach wrote something down, "That's okay, you can try again," he said.

"Okay." Zach took the ball, looked at the basket, narrowed his eyes, and threw the ball. It flew through the air and then…_swoosh_; right into the basket. Zach's eyes lit up, "I did it," he yelled.

Troy smiled; his son was turning into him. "Great job, Zach," he said quietly.

* * *

"…And then I made another basket," Zachary said to Troy as he changed his shirt.

Troy nodded, "And I am very proud of you; you really gave it your all," he said as they walked out of the gym and out to the parking lot.

"Do you think I made the team," he asked.

"I think you did an excellent job and stand a great chance of making it," he said with a smile. "The main thing is that I'm proud of you for trying."

Zach smiled, "I can't wait to tell mommy!"

* * *

Ryan walked through the door with Liam in his arms, "We're home," he said.

"Daddy," Angie said as she ran over to him. "Daddy I had a good day today!"

"That's great, sweetie," he said as he set Liam down. He picked Angie up and hugged her and kissed her forehead. He looked over at Michael who was watching a cartoon, "And how was your day," he asked as he set Angie down.

Michael shrugged, "Good I guess."

"That's…good," Ryan said. He walked into the kitchen and saw Gabi and Theresa, "There you guys are…" He stopped short when he saw Theresa crying. "What's wrong," he asked.

Gabi looked at Theresa who nodded, "Um Theresa said that Jordan dumped her today," Gabi said quietly as she rubbed Theresa's back.

"He dumped me for…Kari," Theresa said, fresh tears coming down her face. "I hate him!"

Ryan walked over to her, "Come here," he said gently.

She walked over to her dad and hugged him, "This isn't fair," she said, pulling away from Ryan. "Girls are supposed to dump guys, not the other way around!" She ran up to her room and closed the door. "I am 13 years old," she said to herself, "I'm not supposed to cry in front of my parents!" She sat down on her bed and looked at the picture that was on her dresser; it was of her and Jordan at the county fair last year. She got up and threw the picture and the frame to the floor.

* * *

Katie opened her backpack and pulled out the invitation. "Maybe they'll let me go," she said to herself. She walked downstairs, "Mom can I go to Emily's party this Saturday?"

Kelsi turned around to face her daughter, "What kind of party?"

She rolled her eyes, "Not the kind you're thinking of. Just a regular _supervised_ beginning of the year mingling get-together thing," she said.

Kelsi looked over at Jason, "What do you think?"

He sighed, "Well…"

"Please dad? Emily's parents are going to be there and there and it's only going to be friends; nothing huge," she said. She showed him the invitation, "See?"

Jason looked at it, "7:00 until midnight? Isn't that a little…late?"

"It's on a Saturday," she said. "And besides, I'm 13 and in 8th grade," she said.

"Will there be boys there," he asked.

She scoffed, "Dad!"

"It's a simple question, Katie," Kelsi said.

"The only boys that are going to be there are our friends…and you've met them. Don't you remember last year?" She asked referring to one of the after parties from the play she was in.

Jason nodded, "All right, I guess you can go." He looked at Kelsi, "What do you think?"

She thought for a moment, "Yeah, just as long as you don't do anything you shouldn't do."

Katie nodded, "I won't, I promise! Thank you!" She ran back up to her room and called Emily. "Hi Em…they said yes…okay, see you tomorrow," she said as she hung up the phone. She thought for a moment and then picked up the phone again and dialed another number. "Hi Theresa, it's Katie…yeah I know but I have an idea that might just cheer you up," she said with a smile.

* * *

Larissa looked over her monologue that she had chosen for her drama class assignment; everyone had to pick something out to read in front of the class, mainly to practice diction and articulation. As she was reading it, she saw Kayleigh at the door. "I'm kind of busy here," she said.

"You're not good at that," Kayleigh said smugly.

"Shut up Kayleigh," Larissa shot back.

"Mommy, Larissa told me to shut up," Kayleigh called to her mom in a sing-song voice.

Sharpay walked upstairs, "Larissa, what have I said about saying those words?"

"I'm sorry but she was really annoying me," Larissa said.

"Kayleigh please leave your sister alone; she is working on homework…something you should be working on, young lady," Sharpay said.

Kayleigh glared at her sister. She was sick and tired of her getting all of the attention, especially when it came to theatre.

* * *

**Hmm, what does Kayleigh have up her sleeve? Will Zachary make the basketball team? He did do pretty well in tryouts! Thank you to lol925 for that idea! I want to thank whalegaldragoness for the idea that will unfold in the next chapter. So what do you think of this party that Katie was invited to? And poor Theresa! Please review and suggestions/ideas are –more than welcome- here! Thanks to you all, I'm getting over the writer's block…slowly but surely! Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. – The other story that I am co-authoring with whalegaldragoness, "Just the Beginning" will be updated tomorrow, I promise! We have some very good ideas that we hope you'll like!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Sorry, somehow the last line of the chapter got deleted, so I'm reposting the chapter. Again, sorry!_**

**Thanks for the reviews! I truly appreciate them. **

**A/N: Thank you whalegaldragoness for one of the ideas I'm using here! You know which one it is. :-)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 4**_

**Two Days Later…**

Zach ran out to the car, "Daddy I did it! I made the team," he said with excitement eminent in his voice.

Troy smiled, "All right! Great job, buddy," he said, extremely proud of his son. "See, I knew you could do it."

He nodded, "The coach said that I was one of the best ones there," he bragged.

"Oh who cares," Kayleigh said as she sat down and put on her seatbelt.

"Kayleigh come on," Troy said. "Can't you be sort of happy for your brother?"

She sighed, "Fine, congratulations," she said flatly.

Zach was too excited to care about her tone, "Thanks!"

Ana got into the car and sat down, not looking at her dad once.

"Ana are you okay," Troy asked.

She nodded, not looking up at him.

"She's mad because some girl said she was stupid for not having pierced ears," Kayleigh said.

Ana glared at her sister, "Do you ever shut up?"

"Ana," Troy said in a warning tone as he started to drive home.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

Kayleigh looked at her sister, "Well you wouldn't say anything."

"That didn't mean you had to," she said with a glare.

"Girls, that is enough," Troy said. He decided to wait until they got home to ask Ana what was really going on.

Once home Ana set her backpack down and walked to the stairs.

"Ana wait," Troy said. "Can I talk to you for a minute please?"

She sighed, "I'm fine, dad. I need to go do homework now," she said as she walked up to her room.

Troy shook his head, not wanting to go after her right now.

Ana opened up her math book but quickly closed it. How could she have gotten into trouble for finishing a mathematic equation before one of the 5th graders? Okay, so maybe the 5th grader felt kind of like an idiot after that, but did he have to tell the teacher that Ana did it on purpose? She then heard the phone ring. "Great…okay dad you got your way," she said to herself as she climbed onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow.

As Troy was talking on the phone, Sharpay walked into the house with Larissa. "Dad I got a B+ on my science quiz!"

He nodded and smiled and continued to talk on the phone, "Yes we'll talk to her about it, thank you." He hung up the phone and looked at Sharpay, "That was…" He looked at Larissa, "Honey I need to talk to your mom alone for a minute."

She nodded, "Okay but after that will you look at my quiz," she asked, still beaming. She had never been very good in science.

"Sure," he said with a smile. He waited until she was upstairs to talk to Sharpay, "That was Ana's teacher."

"Really…what did she want?"

"To let us know that Ana got one of her classmates…her classmates in the advanced math class in trouble today," he said, not completely believing it.

She made a face, "Ana? Ana got someone into trouble? Do they have the right girl," she asked.

"That's what I was wondering," he said. "Of course I didn't say that to her teacher, but just the same."

She nodded, "I think I'll go talk to her; care to join me?"

"Considering the fact that I'm the one who just got off the phone with the teacher, then yes," he said as he followed her up the stairs. "Hold on," he said as he walked into Larissa's room, "Hey there. So what is this quiz you wanted to show me?"

She smiled and got it out, "This one. It is on the Periodic Table of Elements that we're learning about. I got so many of them right!"

He smiled as he looked at the paper, "Honey this is excellent," he said as he kissed her head. "I am very proud of you."

"Thanks!" She took out her other homework and started to work on it.

Troy took this opportunity to walk out of the room, "Okay, now we can go talk to her," he said.

The two walked into Ana and Kayleigh's room. Kayleigh was downstairs, so they didn't have to worry about kicking her out of the room. "Ana, your mom and I would like to talk to you," Troy said as he sat down on the bed.

She lifted her head from the pillow, "But I didn't mean to do anything wrong! I just finished the equation before he did," she said before either of them could say anything.

"Then why did your teacher say that you did that to make your classmate look…how do I put this…like an idiot is what your teacher said," Troy said.

Sharpay sat down next to Ana's bed in the desk chair. "Honey are you being challenged in math?"

"What do you mean," Ana asked.

"Well if you finished the problem before the other student did, you obviously understood the equation very well…which leads to the question of if you are being challenged," she explained.

Ana shrugged, "I don't know," she said quietly.

* * *

Larissa decided to take a homework break and walked downstairs to the kitchen and got an apple out of the fridge. As she was closing the fridge, she accidentally bumped into Kayleigh who just happened to be standing right in front of her. "Kayleigh what are you doing," Larissa asked.

"I'm getting an apple…oh here's one," she said, taking the one that Larissa had taken out of the fridge.

"Hey that happens to be mine," she said as she tried to take the apple back. As she got it, however, she accidentally knocked Kayleigh to the floor.

Kayleigh glared at Larissa, "I'm telling!" She stomped over to the stairs, "Mommy! Larissa pushed me down!"

Larissa rolled her eyes, "Here we go again," she said to herself.

Sharpay sighed, "I'll be right back." She walked down the stairs, "What did you say Kayleigh?"

"Larissa pushed me down! She hurt my arm too," she said.

Sharpay walked over to Larissa, "Is this true?"

"Not completely," Larissa said, eyeing her sister.

"Yes it is," Kayleigh said as she walked over to her sister. "I wanted that apple but Larissa took it from me!"

"I did not," Larissa said, shocked. "I took the apple out of the fridge and you took it from me!"

Sharpay groaned, "Girls, stop. Larissa please go back up to your room and finish your homework," she said.

As Sharpay was looking over at Larissa, Kayleigh stuck her tongue out at her. "But she isn't even hurt!" Larissa exclaimed.

"Enough Larissa! Please just go up to your room and finish your homework," she said.

Larissa walked past Kayleigh, "Looks like you got your way…again," she said as she ran up to her room and slammed the door.

* * *

**Saturday…**

Katie put the finishing touches on her make up. Her parents had finally allowed her to wear a little bit; she was allowed to wear eye shadow, a little bit of blush, and a light-colored lipstick. "Perfect," she said to herself.

"Katie let's go," Kelsi called from the stairs.

"Coming," she called. She checked her outfit one more time, just to make sure everything was perfect. Sure it wasn't a huge party, but she still wanted to look good. She walked downstairs, "Well?"

Kelsi smiled, "Looks great honey. Come on, I said that we'd pick Theresa up on the way there."

She nodded, "Okay." She was glad she had finally convinced Theresa to go. Luckily, her and Emily knew each other and talked every now and then.

When they arrived at Theresa's house, Katie got out of the car and hurried to the door and rang the doorbell.

Gabi answered the door, "Hi Katie you look…really nice," she said.

Katie smiled, "Thank you," she said. "Is Theresa ready yet? We're sort of in a rush."

She nodded, "Yeah let me go get her." Gabi walked into the dining room where she saw Theresa fixing her top. "Honey Katie's here."

"All right," she said. "I'll be home at…midnight-ish," she said, hoping it was still all right that she was staying out that late.

"Okay, just make sure you…"

"Don't do anything that isn't smart. I know mom," she said, rolling her eyes. She walked to the door, "Hi Katie."

Katie smiled when she saw her friend, "You look great; definitely not like someone who just…I mean…"

She shook it off, "Don't worry about it," Theresa said. "My mom said that it was his loss," she said with a small smile.

The two girls smiled and walked to the car.

* * *

"Remember, I will be here at 12:00 on the dot," Kelsi said firmly. "Or your father will," she said.

Katie rolled her eyes, "Yes mom, we know. You only told us about 10 times on the way here."

"Thank you for the ride," Theresa said, trying to be pleasant.

Kelsi smiled, "See you two later."

"Finally," Katie muttered as she and Theresa rang the doorbell.

Emily walked to the door, "Hi Katie," she said. She looked over at Theresa, "I'm glad you could come," she said to her.

"Thanks for letting me come," she said as she and Katie walked into the house.

"No problem," she said. "Anyway, the party's downstairs. My parents are going to be up here and upstairs for the most part, so we'll have the entire downstairs to ourselves," she said as she led them down to the basement…which looked more like a house.

As they walked downstairs, Theresa stopped, "Katie."

"What is it?"

Theresa pointed to someone standing in the corner with another person. "That."

Katie looked at what Theresa was pointing to, "Wonderful," she said sarcastically. "Just ignore him, Theresa."

"Yeah," she said quietly. Inside, however, she wanted to pound the daylights out of him for being there with Kari, also known as her former best friend. She took a breath and walked past the two.

"Theresa," Jordan said, surprised to see her there.

"What do you want," she asked, crossing her arms. She glared at Kari.

He shrugged, "Just to, you know, say hi."

"Hi," she said plain-spoken. She started to walk away.

"Theresa wait," Kari said.

She sighed and turned around, "No, I don't think I will," she said angrily. "You already have my boyfriend, what else do you want from me," she asked, giving Kari the 'evil eye.' She turned on her heel and walked away.

* * *

That evening, Larissa walked into the family room and turned on the TV to her favorite channel so she could watch the show she and Kayleigh always watched. She decided that she was thirsty so she walked into the kitchen and took a soda from the fridge (non-caffeinated of course) and sat back down.

Kayleigh joined her. Seeing the soda her sister had, Kayleigh got an idea. "Can I have a little bit please?"

Larissa turned to her sister, "You know that mom and dad never let you drink soda after dinner, let alone…ever."

She frowned, "Fine." She went into the kitchen and got a glass of milk and came back to the family room. She looked down at her shoe which was untied, "Can you hold this please? I have to tie my shoe."

"Just set it down," Larissa said, becoming annoyed.

Kayleigh did so and as she tied her shoe, she made sure to "accidentally" bump into Larissa, thus causing her to spill some of her soda on Kayleigh. "Hey!" She glared at Larissa, "Mommy!"

"Ugh, not again," Larissa groaned, knowing she was going to be blamed…again.

Sharpay walked into the family room, "What's wrong?"

"Larissa spilled her soda all over me!"

"She bumped into me mom. I didn't mean to spill it," she said, hoping her mom would believe her.

Sharpay nodded, "All right; can you at least get a few napkins so that the carpet doesn't get stained," she asked.

Larissa nodded, "Okay." She glared at her sister who was clearly upset that Larissa didn't get into trouble. Larissa walked back into the family room with the napkins. As she did, Kayleigh stuck out her foot just enough to trip her sister. "AAHH!" She screamed as she fell on Kayleigh.

"Mommy!" Kayleigh cried. "Larissa pushed me!"

Sharpay, who was watching Troy and Zachary playing basketball outside, turned around, "Larissa why did you do that?"

"She tripped me!"

"Mommy she hurt me," Kayleigh said, gesturing to the leg that Larissa fell on.

"Mom she tripped me," Larissa said again.

Sharpay was now completely annoyed, "That's it! If I hear one more word out of either of you complaining about the other, you are not going to like the consequences. Is that clear?"

Both girls nodded.

"Good," Sharpay said as she sighed. She walked into the den where Ana was; now working on 6th grade math…the same as Larissa; yet Larissa wasn't fazed by it. Her parents had explained why Ana was working on such advanced work for someone her age. "How is it going," she asked.

Ana looked up, "Pretty good," she said, finally smiling. It had turned out that she was indeed not being challenged. So her teacher decided to give her some harder work, which she did with ease, but was also being challenged enough to allow her to concentrate on it.

"That's great honey; just remember that it's Saturday and you don't have to do this now."

"I know…I want to though," she said as she got back to it.

Sharpay just smiled and left the room.

* * *

**10:00 PM; Party…**

Katie was talking with one of her friends when Emily came up behind her, "Psst, Katie, come here," she said.

Katie walked over to Emily, "Yeah?"

"You want any of this," asked, holding up a can of beer.

Katie's eyes went wide, "Are you nuts," she asked. "No way!"

"Oh come on Katie, we're 13," said another girl. She placed it in her hand, "Just try it."

Emily's parents took that moment to check on the party. "Don't mind us, we're just…" They stopped when they saw Emily, Katie, and another girl holding the alcohol. "What is going on down here," Emily's mom asked, snatching the beers away from the girls.

Katie wanted to crawl in to a corner and die, even though her parents would kill her anyway.

* * *

**Dun, dun, DUN! Can you say 'peer pressure,' LOL. So what do you think is going to happen to Katie? Thank you to ****nneessssaa**** for giving me a really good idea for Katie! And what about Kayleigh…she just keeps getting worse and worse…hmm, I wonder what will happen next…please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome! Oh and I hope you like that Zach made the team.:-) Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Holy moly! I wasn't expecting that many reviews, LOL. Then again, I guess that little curve I threw at you was kind of unexpected…**

**Anyway…**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 5**_

"_Oh come on Katie, we're 13," said another girl. She placed it in her hand, "Just try it."_

_Emily's parents took that moment to check on the party. "Don't mind us, we're just…" They stopped when they saw Emily, Katie, and another girl holding the alcohol. "What is going on down here," Emily's mom asked, snatching the beers away from the girls._

_Katie wanted to crawl into a corner and die, even though her parents would kill her anyway._

Emily's mom shook her head, "That's it, I'm calling your parents…and you," she said to Emily, "This party is over. You are grounded until…whenever," she said. Saying she was angry would have been an understatement.

Katie just stood there, knowing that when her parents found out what had happened, she was going to be grounded for life…or worse.

After telling everyone that the party was over, the kids either walked home or called their parents to come pick them up; since Katie's parents had already been called, Katie simply walked outside and sat on the front steps.

Theresa hurried over to Katie, "Hey, I saw what happened," she said as she sat down next to her.

Katie looked over at Theresa, "Then you know I didn't do anything," she said as tears attempted to make their way down her face.

Before Theresa could respond, she saw a car pull up, "Here we go," Theresa said quietly as she saw both Jason and Kelsi get out of the car.

They walked over to the girls, "Theresa I've called your parents and told them that you're coming home a little early," Kelsi said in a monotone.

Theresa just nodded and stood up and walked over to the car and got in.

Katie got up as well, but was afraid to look at her parents. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"We'll talk about this when we get home," Jason said, his voice full of disappointment.

She nodded, knowing that she was going to be spending a lot of time in her room. She walked over to the car and got in. "Where's Maddy," she asked quietly.

"With a sitter," Kelsi said, barely looking over at Katie.

As Jason drove to Theresa's house, Katie looked out the window and was somehow able to keep the tears back that were threatening to fall down her face.

Jason pulled into Theresa's driveway, "We'll see you later, Theresa," Jason said.

She nodded and started to get out of the car, but stopped and remembered how Katie had been there for her when Jordan broke up with her. She took a deep breath and looked at Katie and then at Jason and Kelsi, "Um you should know that Katie didn't drink anything," she said. "She said no."

Kelsi sighed, "Thank you, Theresa," she said half-heartedly.

She nodded, "Anyway, goodnight." She closed the door and headed to her front door where Ryan was waiting for her.

Katie smiled to herself; Theresa had just stood up for her. Maybe she was a better friend than she thought.

Kelsi glanced back at Katie as Jason drove home, "Is that true?"

She nodded, "Yes…I didn't drink anything."

The rest of the ride home was silent. As soon as Jason parked the car in the garage, he looked over at Katie, "Go up to your room and go to bed. We'll discuss this in the morning."

She did as she was told, not wanting to get into any more trouble than she was already in.

* * *

**Next Morning…**

Larissa descended down the stairs and walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Good morning honey," Troy said as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading.

"Morning," she said nonchalantly. She was still quite angry with her sister for last night.

Sharpay sighed, "Larissa please don't bring your attitude to the table."

"Sorry," she muttered. She decided to ignore Kayleigh who glared at her every time Sharpay and Troy weren't looking. "So," she said to Zach, "How's basketball going?"

He smiled, "I made three baskets from the free throw line yesterday!"

"That's…great," Larissa said, trying to be as upbeat as possible, even though Kayleigh was still glaring at her. She wasn't going to let her sister win this one.

Ana quickly picked up on what Kayleigh was doing and how Larissa was trying to avoid her. She scooted her chair closer to Larissa. "Be thankful that I don't like acting," Ana whispered.

Larissa giggled and looked at her sister, "Yeah, really." She glanced at Kayleigh who was still glaring at her. She couldn't take it anymore. "Will you stop it!" She yelled. Before either one of her parents could say anything, Larissa spoke, "Kayleigh has been glaring at me ever since I came downstairs!"

Kayleigh's face softened, "No I haven't," she said, sounding as if she was about to cry. "Mommy Larissa's being mean."

"Not again," Sharpay murmured to herself. "Larissa please don't yell at the table and Kayleigh…if you were staring or glaring or whatever at your sister, stop it right now," she said sternly.

Larissa turned to Kayleigh with a sneer, glad that her mom was finally not taking either girl's side.

Unfortunately for Larissa, Troy saw the face she was giving to Kayleigh. "Larissa what did your mom say about attitude at the table," he snapped.

"I…I wasn't doing anything," she said, trying to defend herself. "This is all Kayleigh's fault," she thought to herself. It was about a millisecond later that she realized she hadn't said this in her mind, but out loud.

Sharpay placed her mug on the table, "Larissa I have had enough of this. Go up to your room."

Larissa got up, ran upstairs to her room, closed the door, and threw herself on the bed, crying. "This isn't fair," she cried to herself.

* * *

"…And she wasn't even doing anything," Theresa said, explaining what had gone on last night to her parents.

"And you told her parents this," Ryan asked.

She nodded, "Yes but I don't think it did any good," she said quietly.

"Actually I think it probably did a lot of good; for Katie anyway. You showed her that you're a true friend," Gabi said as she placed her hand on top of Theresa's. "I'm proud of you for standing up for her, honey."

Angie smiled, "Did Theresa do a nice thing?"

Ryan nodded, "Yes honey, she did," he said, looking over at his oldest daughter.

"So…I'm not grounded? Because I had no idea that Emily was going to do something like that." She looked at her parents.

Gabi shook her head, "No you're not grounded, but you are never to go to that girl's house again, understand?"

She nodded, "Yes."

* * *

Katie was not in a hurry to come downstairs that morning. She wished she had a remote control and could simply click "rewind" and go back to the party where she would not even ask Emily what she had wanted to give her. Knowing that sooner or later she was going to have to face the music, she got out of bed and made her way downstairs to the kitchen where her parents and Madison already were.

Kelsi looked up and saw Katie walk into the kitchen, "Before you sit down, your father and I would like to talk to you in the living room," she said, her voice still full of disappointment.

She nodded and walked into the living room and sat down.

Jason and Kelsi sat on either side of her, "So about last night," Jason began, "Did you know that there was going to be alcohol there?"

She shook her head, "No, I swear I didn't know," she said, trying to keep the tears from falling down her face.

Kelsi sighed, "Then why did you have a beer in your hand? Katie you promised that you weren't going to do anything stupid!"

"One of the girls…she put it in my hand and said to just do it," Katie said, no longer able to hold back the tears. "But I said no, mom!" She looked at her dad, "I swear I said no!"

Jason shook his head, "If one of the girls put it in your hand, then why didn't you just give it back to her," he asked, still not fully believing her.

"Because…"

"No, you know what? I don't want to hear any more excuses, Katherine," Kelsi said, her voice rising with each word. "You are grounded."

"But mom I swear…" Katie started, however her sobbing took over. "I didn't do anything," she managed to get out.

"Just…go to your room, please," Jason said, trying not to explode with anger.

Katie ran upstairs and slammed the door, "I didn't do anything," she cried as she sat down on the floor next to her bed.

* * *

Ana walked into Larissa's room, "Hi," she said softly.

Larissa wiped her eyes, "What do you want?"

She sat down next to her sister, "I just think that…what Kayleigh did was really…I don't know…rude," she said, not able to come up with anything else.

Larissa nodded, "At least I have one person on my side," she said, sniffling. "I just don't get it. Kayleigh always has to be the drama queen and mom always has to buy into it," she said, her voice starting to break again. "It's probably because…and I know I've said this before, but it's probably because we're only adopted."

Ana rested her head on her sister's shoulder, "So what? They love us," she said. "We'd still be at that place if they hadn't come and adopted us," she said.

"I guess," Larissa said, "You know for a nine year old, you're really smart."

She smiled, "Thanks." She paused, "Larissa?"

"Yeah?"

She sat up and looked at her sister, "I had a really bad dream last night…we were really little and some guy was…hitting you," she said as she felt her eyes moisten. "Then he hit me," she said.

"That um, that wasn't a dream," Larissa said, also feeling tears coming to her eyes. "That really happened when we were little. And the guy who hit us…that was our father," she said, her voice starting to crack. "Then we were left at the orphanage until…" She started to cry, "…Until mom and dad came."

Ana nodded, "I remember you always protecting me when we were there," she said. Even though she was only 6 months old when they first came to the orphanage, Ana could still remember her sister being there for her.

"No one else would," she said, getting a tissue. "Maybe that's why we always fight for their attention," she said, referring to Troy and Sharpay. "I remember when I was 5 thinking that they were going to leave us one day."

Sharpay, who had been putting laundry away had overheard about ¾ of the conversation. She placed her head against the wall, glad that the two were bonding, but at the same time sad that they were remembering their horrible life in Russia.

"You don't think they will, do you," Ana asked, suddenly scared.

Larissa looked at her sister, "No, I don't think they will…in fact I know they won't," she said as she placed her arm around Ana. She smiled, "Did you know that when we were at the orphanage I never took my arm off of you…except for when your diaper had to be changed that is. But other than that, I was so scared that someone was going to take you away from me that I just…never let go."

"So even when you get mad at me…you still love me," Ana asked.

"Well duh," she said with a smile.

She nodded, "Even though I am at the same math level as you?"

"Yes, even though you're smarter than anyone in this house put together, I still love you," she said, giving her another hug. "And thanks for coming up here…it really made me feel better."

"You're welcome," she said quietly.

* * *

Kelsi walked to the ringing phone, "Hello…yes, this is she," Kelsi said. Her facial expression changed from that of anger to embarrassment and relief, "I see," she said, waving Jason over. "Thank you." She hung up the phone and looked at Jason, "That was Emily's mother. Apparently Emily told her parents what really happened…Jason, Katie was telling us the truth."

He took a deep breath, "Oh boy," he said. "I think we owe our daughter one huge apology."

She nodded, "I agree." They walked up to Katie's room and knocked on the door, "Katie," Kelsi said, opening the door a crack.

"What now," she asked.

Jason and Kelsi walked into the room. "We just got a phone call from Emily's mother," Jason said. "She said that Emily told her the truth."

Katie was too angry with her parents to look at them, "I told you I wasn't lying," she said, wiping her eyes.

"And we are very sorry for not believing you," Kelsi said. "We should have listened to you and believed you from the start…honey we are sorry."

Katie looked up, "Mom I would never do something like that," she said with fresh tears in her eyes.

She nodded, "I know and I guess that just hearing the fact that you held an alcoholic drink in your hands got the best of us."

"Theresa tried to tell you the truth last night…why didn't you listen to her?"

Jason shook his head, "Like your mom said, we just couldn't get over the image of you holding a beer in your hands." He sighed, "Honey, we are very sorry…and you're not grounded."

She looked up at him, "Thank you…for finally believing me." She smiled for the first time since the previous night when she was caught with the drink.

* * *

**Monday Morning…**

Theresa walked down the hall, looking through her notes for English, since they were having a test that day. As she was walking, she saw Kari walking in the opposite direction.

She stopped her, "Hi Theresa," she said in a stuck up tone.

Theresa made a face, "Get away from me," she said as she shoved past her.

"What's wrong? Still sad about losing Jordan?"

"I said get away from me," Theresa said, her teeth clenched.

"Or what; you'll huwt me," she said in a baby-like voice. "Go on, I dare you," she said as she lightly pushed Theresa.

She rolled her eyes and continued to walk away.

"That's what I thought," Kari said. "Nothing but a baby. That is why Jordan dumped you."

That did it. Theresa turned around, fury in her eyes, "Take that back," she said.

"Make me," Kari said her hands on her hips. When Theresa didn't do anything, Kari walked over to her and shoved her, "Don't even think about trying to get him back because he's dating me now."

"You know what? I don't even care about getting him back anymore. I just want you to get away from me," she said as she got up and shoved Kari back.

* * *

**Uh oh; so what is going to happen? I hope you liked the whole bonding thing with Larissa and Ana. Thank you to xxAnnaxx for giving me that idea. Please review and remember suggestions/ideas are welcome! Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

_**I'm re-doing part of this chapter. Many of you said I made Ryan too harsh. You're right; or I should say, I agree. So here is sort of a different version…**_

**Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! You all are great. Here is chapter 6.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**  
_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 6**_

"_You know what? I don't even care about getting him back anymore. I just want you to get away from me," she said as she got up and shoved Kari back._

"Oh look, the girl has guts," Kari said as she walked towards Theresa one more time before Theresa simply shoved her away.

There was now a small crowd forming around the two girls. One of those girls was Katie. She stepped forward, "Theresa, don't."

"I said, get away from me," she said through gritted teeth, ignoring Katie.

"And what if I don't," Kari yelled as she punched Theresa…in the mouth.

Theresa could feel that one of her braces had come loose. She could also feel blood on her inner lip since her braces hit it. "That's it," she said as she pulled her arm back, ready to really give it to Kari when she felt a hand stop her. She turned around and saw her aunt standing there, Katie behind her.

"That is enough you two," Sharpay said evenly. She looked at the crowd of people, "Don't you all have classes to get to?" She waited for a moment, "Go!" She yelled when no one moved.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed.

Sharpay turned back to Theresa and Kari, "Principal's office; now," she said rather sternly. She stopped Theresa as they reached the office, "I thought you were smarter than this, Theresa."

"She deserved it," Theresa said as she walked into the office. She sat down and noticed that there was more blood in her mouth now.

Sharpay picked up a tissue, "Here."

Theresa took the tissue and held it to her mouth. She looked over at Kari and glared, "I hate you."

Kari simply rolled her eyes, "Gee, I'm heartbroken," she said sarcastically.

The principal walked out of her office, "Miss Evans and Miss Parker, please come with me."

Katie, who was still standing in the office, hurried over to the principal, "I just want you to know that it wasn't Theresa who started it," she said, defending her friend.

"Aw, look Theresa has a friend," Kari said, glaring at Katie.

"Enough, Miss Parker," the principal said as she ushered the two into her office.

"Kari's the one who started it," Katie said to Sharpay as they walked out of the office.

Sharpay sighed, "Well no matter who started it, it's about to end right now. You should get to class."

She nodded and walked down the hall to her Science class.

* * *

"Mr. Evans you have a phone call," his secretary said as she stuck her head into the meeting room. 

Ryan put down the paper he was looking at, "I'm a little busy," he said. "Tell whoever it is that I'll call them back."

"She said it was urgent."

"Fine," he said. He turned to his co-workers, "I'm sorry but I guess I have to take this," he said as he walked out of the meeting room and into his office. "What line," he asked his secretary.

"Line 2," she said.

He sat down, picked up the phone, and pushed the line 2 button, "Hello," he said, rather frustrated that this person probably picked the worst time to call. "Yes, this is her father, why," he asked as he suddenly became worried that something had happened to his daughter. His face turned to that of shock, "She what," he asked, now giving the person on the other line his full attention. He placed his head in his hand as he listened to what had happened. "Yes, thank you," he said as he hung up. "Theresa what did you do," he asked himself as he walked back into the meeting room, "I'm sorry but there has been a slight emergency at my daughter's school so I'm going to have to leave early."

His boss nodded, "I hope that everything is all right."

"Me too," Ryan said as he gathered his things and left the room. As he was walking down to his car, he felt his cell phone start to vibrate, "Oh what now," he said as he looked at who was calling. "Sharpay?" He opened up the phone, "Shar this is a really bad time…"

"I know and I'm sorry, but I just thought you should know that Theresa…"

"Got into a fight at school; yes, I know," he said as he reached his car and got in.

She cringed, wishing she had been quicker to call him, "I would have called sooner but…"

He sighed, "Sharpay as much as I truly appreciate you calling me, this is probably the worst time to be talking to me," he said, trying not to lose it over the phone; he was angry enough at Theresa as it was.

"Do you want me to call Gabi," she asked, knowing that Gabi was at home with Angie who had been running a fever the night before. **(A/N: This is strictly for the convenience of Gabi being reachable, LOL. Nothing is horribly wrong with Angie.)**

"If the school hasn't already, that would be good, thank you," he said as he started driving to the middle school.

She nodded, "Okay. And I just want you to know that…"

He gripped the steering wheel tighter, "Sharpay, I really need to hang up now before I completely lose it, okay," he said, feeling his anger start to get the better of him. His daughter, who knew better than this had just done the one thing he had least expected from her.

Sharpay, sensing this anger, complied, "Okay…I'll talk to you later." She hung up hit the speed dial for Ryan and Gabi's house.

Ryan hung up and placed the phone in the passenger seat. As he pulled into the parking lot of the school, he parked the car and shut it off and took a few deep breaths, calming himself down before he even set foot out of the car. He grabbed his phone and got out of the car and walked into the school, thankful that he hadn't run into his sister.

* * *

Gabi hung up the phone after having talked with the school. "How did this happen," she asked as she tried to understand what had just happened. Before she could so much as process a thought, the phone rang again. She sighed and answered it, "Hello," she said a little more harshly than usual. 

Sharpay, recognizing the anger in Gabi's voice, knew that the school had called her already. She now wanted to know just when the school became so efficient. Since when did they call people so quickly? "It's me, Gabi," she said.

Gabi sighed, "This is a really bad time, Sharpay."

She decided not to pursue it since Gabi would probably say the exact same thing Ryan did. "Right, I'm sorry. I'll just talk to you later." She hung up and shook her head and tried to focus on the papers that needed to be graded.

Gabi just stared at the phone before hanging up, "Okay," she said to herself. She sat back on the bed, glad that it wasn't her who had to go to the school. This was truly the last thing she needed.

* * *

Theresa sat in the office, trying to avoid eye contact with Kari as the principal walked back in. "I have just called each of your parents," she said as she sat down at her desk. "They will be picking you up and taking you home." 

Kari looked at the principal, "Taking us home? Why?"

"Because Miss Parker, in case you didn't already know, fighting on school grounds is completely unacceptable. I could very easily have both of you expelled for such behavior," she said, looking at both girls.

"So…what's going to happen," Theresa asked quietly.

"You two are suspended from school for two days. You two may wait in the outer office for your parents," she said.

The girls silently stood up and walked to the outer office and sat down. After a few minutes of silence, Theresa turned to Kari, "This is all your fault."

"At least I'm not the one whose aunt stopped them," she retorted.

Kari's mother and father walked into the office, "That is enough Kari," her mother said. "Come on," she said heatedly.

Kari stood up and glared at Theresa, "I hate you."

"The feeling's mutual," she said to herself after Kari left the office. She then saw Ryan walking into the office, "Oh boy," she said, getting ready for the worst.

Ryan walked into the office and saw Theresa sitting there. He sat down beside her, "Hey there."

"I'm sorry dad," she said, afraid to look at him.

He sighed, "What happened, Theresa? I mean, you have never done this before."

She shook her head, "She made me really mad and then she made fun of me…but I didn't start it, I swear," she said, looking up at him.

He nodded, "Okay. Let's go; we'll talk more in the car and then at home."

"Okay," she said as she stood up and followed him out to the car.

"So," he said as they got into the car, "You said you didn't start it?"

She nodded, "She hit me first." She took the tissue that Katie had given her and put it back to her mouth.

Ryan saw this, "Did she do that to you?"

"Yes…she broke one of the brackets, dad…I'm sorry," she said, now in tears.

"Come here," he said quietly. He leaned over and hugged her.

"Aren't you mad," she asked.

He sighed, "I'm definitely disappointed, and I was mad…really mad. Then I saw you sitting in that office; you had that…look of 'I'm going to get it' on your face." He took a deep breath, "Fighting isn't the answer and it never will be, Theresa," he said calmly yet crossly.

She nodded, "I know."

"Let's go home," he said as he started the car and drove home.

The ride home was silent. Theresa felt a little better after having talked with her dad.

As he parked in the garage, she tensed up again, knowing her mom was not going to be as understanding.

The two walked into the house.

Gabi walked over to them, "What on earth were you thinking, Theresa Mae?" Gabi yelled.

* * *

**Meanwhile in the Kindergarten Class (Happening Simultaneously)…**

Maddy was excited; today her class was going on a nature walk. They were going to be walking around the woods that surrounded the school.

"Now remember," her teacher said, "You must stay with your partner at all times." She stopped and looked at everyone, "So who's ready to experience nature," she asked with a smile.

"Me!" All of the children exclaimed.

"That's what I wanted to hear. All right we're going to start out over here," she said.

After a few minutes of walking, Maddy looked at a flower that had caught her attention.

"Maddy come on, we're going to get lost and Ms. Dennings (yes, Alison) is going to be real mad if we don't go," Shelby, her partner said.

But Maddy, being the curious little 5 year old that she was, wasn't listening. "This is pretty," she said, still looking at the flower. "Look Shelby…" She looked up, but saw that Shelby was no longer there. "Shelby! Where are you?" She called.

No answer.

"Ms. Dennings," she called as she looked around.

No answer.

She turned around several times, trying to find her class. "Uh oh," she said to herself.

**5 Minutes Later…**

"Okay, time for a headcount," Alison said as they stopped walking. Alison counted each child, but became a bit nervous when she counted only 13 instead of 14 children. She looked at the attendance sheet and then at the children, "Where's Madison?" She looked at Shelby, "Weren't you and Madison partners," she asked.

The little girl nodded, "She kept looking at a flower and I didn't want to get lost."

Alison sighed, "Has anyone seen her?"

The children all shook their heads.

"Great," she said to herself. "Have you seen her, Julia," she asked her assistant teacher.

"No; I was helping Alex tie his shoe and by the time I looked up, Shelby was here and Madison…wasn't."

She thought for a moment, "All right here is what's going to happen. You are all going to stay with Miss Julia while I go find Madison." She looked at Julia, "If one more child gets lost while I am gone, your job will be lost as well," she said crossly since Julia was supposed to be at the back of the group, making sure everyone kept up. Alison sighed and walked back to where the group had come from, hoping (and praying) that she'd find the probably very scared little girl.

* * *

**I am evil, I know. I have given you not one, but two cliffhangers, bwahahahahaha. So what do you think will happen with Gabi and Theresa? Will Theresa be able to tell her side of the story to mom? And will Alison find Maddy? Oh, and thank you to lol925 for suggesting that I do something with one of the little kids that isn't in the Bolton household! Please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome. I will tell you this: in the next chapter, the adults (you know, those people I've been writing about who are raising these loony kids?) have a get together! Thanks for reading.**

**Also, I hope you liked this version a little better!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! I have read each one and I really hope you like what I will be doing in this chapter.**

**A/N: Drama warning towards the end of the chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King either.  
**

**

* * *

**  
_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 7**_

_She thought for a moment, "All right here is what's going to happen. You are all going to stay with Miss Julia while I go find Madison." She looked at Julia, "If one more child gets lost while I am gone, your job will be lost as well," she said crossly since Julia was supposed to be at the back of the group, making sure everyone kept up. Alison sighed and walked back to where the group had come from, hoping (and praying) that she'd find the probably very scared little girl._

Alison walked back the way the class came when she heard crying. "Oh thank goodness," she said as she hurried towards the crying.

Maddy sat on the ground, just wanting her mom and dad to come and hold her. She didn't know where she was and she was beyond scared. She heard someone approaching and ran in the opposite direction, afraid that it was someone she didn't know…or an animal of some sort.

Alison stopped when she saw Maddy's headband that she was wearing. "Madison," she called, hoping that she would either hear the little girl's voice or even her cry; anything to find her.

She stopped when she heard her name. Maddy turned around, but did not walk towards the person who was calling her name.

"Madison, where are you," Alison called, still walking around. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Maddy's dark, wavy hair. "Madison," she said as she ran over to her.

"Ms. Dennings," Maddy cried as she ran to her teacher.

"Thank goodness you're all right," Alison said as she wrapped her arms around the little girl.

Maddy wiped her eyes, "I didn't mean to get lost," she said through her sniffles.

"I know honey," Alison said as she took her hand and led her back to where the rest of the class was. She wasn't about to scold her, considering the fact that she was still shaky. Instead, she stopped and knelt down in front of her, "Madison, next time we do something like this, please speak up if you see something you think is pretty or find something interesting, okay? You really scared me."

She nodded, "Okay…I'm sorry."

"It's okay; you do know we have to tell mommy and daddy, right?"

Maddy stopped, "No! They'll get mad."

She shook her head, "No honey, I'm pretty sure they'll just be glad to know that their little girl is okay."

"Okay," she said quietly as they started walking again and eventually made their way back to the rest of the class.

* * *

**Evans Home…**

_Gabi walked over to them, "What on earth were you thinking, Theresa Mae?" Gabi yelled._

"Gabi calm down," Ryan said.

She looked at him as if he were nuts, "Calm down? How exactly do you expect me to calm down when our daughter here just got sent home for fighting, Ryan?"

"I didn't start it," Theresa said quietly.

"Why don't we just go sit down and talk about this," Ryan suggested.

"What is there to talk about? She got into a fight and therefore she is grounded. End of story," Gabi said, still fuming.

"Gabi you have to at least listen to Theresa's side of the story," he said, somehow still remaining calm. "Please."

She sighed, "Fine." They walked into the family room and sat down, "So what happened," she asked, still incredibly angry (and it could be heard in her voice).

"Kari started taunting me and then she hit me and called me a baby-"

"Oh so you decided to hit her because she called you a baby?" Gabi said, interrupting her daughter.

"Will you let her finish?" Ryan nearly yelled.

Gabi took a deep breath, "All right, I'm sorry; go on," she said in a calmer tone.

Theresa told her mom exactly what happened. "She started it mom. I swear I didn't. I didn't want to hit her but she kept making me want to…it was like she wanted to get into trouble," Theresa said.

Gabi nodded, "I um, I'm sorry for blowing up like that honey," she said. "It's just…you know better than this."

"I know," Theresa said, looking at the floor.

"All right; why don't you go up to your room and your dad and I will be up in a bit," Gabi said calmly.

Theresa walked up the stairs to her room and sat down on her bed.

"What do you suggest for a punishment," Gabi asked once Theresa was out of earshot.

He sighed, "Don't you think that her getting suspended for two days is punishment enough?"

"What? You don't think she should be grounded," Gabi asked, shocked.

"I didn't say that. For the next two days I think she should not have any of the privileges she would normally have," he said.

She nodded, "All right, that makes sense," she said with a sigh. "I just don't understand what is going on here."

He shrugged, "She's 13 years old and is in middle school. Need I say more?"

"Touché," she said with a small smile.

* * *

**Saturday…**

Sharpay had finally gone to the doctor that week since she had still been getting the migraines, not to mention dizzy spells. Her doctor said that she was simply under a lot of stress and put her on some prescription medication which seemed to be helping.

After the crazy week that everyone had, Troy decided that he and Sharpay needed to just get out with the adults. Sharpay agreed to this on one condition: their children remain at home under tight supervision.

"I don't want a baby-sitter," Larissa whined. "I don't need one! I can take care of everyone," she said.

"Okay then answer this question for me: how do you plan on picking your brother up from practice," Troy asked.

She made a face, "But Zach is home, dad. I don't have to pick him up from anywhere."

He smirked, "That's where you're wrong. You haven't noticed that your brother hasn't been home, have you?"

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Exactly," Troy said. "That's why you are having a sitter."

The phone then rang, "I'll get it," Larissa said. "Hello? Hi Maya!" She looked at Troy, "It's Maya," she whispered.

"I never would've guessed," he said under his breath. He walked into the other room where Ana was engrossed in a book. "How's the book coming along?"

No answer.

"Ana," he said, lowering the book.

"Sorry," she said. "It's a good book."

"I'm glad you like it. Anyway," he said as he sat down, "Your mom and I are going to go out for a while this evening. We'll be home after you're in bed, but we will be coming home," he assured her.

She nodded, "Okay. Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Can I read my book now?"

He laughed, "Sure honey," he said as he got up and kissed her head.

"Honey I don't know," Sharpay said to Kayleigh.

"Please, mommy? I want to be in this play!" She pleaded with her mom.

"Ask me tomorrow, all right? I don't feel like getting into this right now," she said. "In the meantime, think about trying out for the musical that the children's community theatre is putting on," Sharpay said. She was much more comfortable with Kayleigh trying out for _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat _than she was in having her tryout for _Grease._ "It makes no sense," she said as she walked out of the room.

"Mom can I sleep at Maya's house tonight," Larissa asked, rushing to her mom.

"Uh…well I don't know honey; I mean dad and I are going out and…"

"Please? I've had a good week at school," she said, trying to negotiate.

She sighed, "Go ask your dad."

"He said to ask you."

"Ugh," she said to herself. "I'd rather you didn't; at least not tonight. How about tomorrow," she said.

"But mom!"

"Larissa please," Sharpay said. "Tomorrow would be better."

"Fine," she said as she walked downstairs to call Maya back.

Sharpay sighed and went to pick Zachary up from practice, all the while feeling that something just wasn't right.

* * *

Jason walked over to Kelsi, "Are you almost ready?" 

She nodded, "Yeah I just want to make sure Maddy is still in the family room."

"Kelsi you checked on her two minutes ago. She's still there." Ever since they heard about what had happened, Kelsi had not wanted to take her eyes off of her for even one second.

She sighed, "You're right." She rushed into Katie's room, "All right, do you have all the numbers that I wrote down for you?"

She nodded, "Yes mom, you only wrote them down on five different pads of paper and left them all over the house," she said, holding one of them up. "I know what to do. And I won't let Maddy go outside unless I go with her," she said before Kelsi could say anything.

Kelsi smiled, "Thank you." She kissed her head, "All right then…I guess your dad and I will get going then." She walked over to Maddy who was indeed still in the family room. "Honey daddy and I are going to get going, okay?"

Maddy looked up at her mom, "Okay mommy," she said as she hugged her.

After 10 minutes, the two left…finally.

* * *

Gabi and Ryan decided to allow Theresa to watch her siblings, just as long as she had a friend with her; after all, she was only 13 and it would be a bit difficult to watch an 8 year old, a 5 year old, and a 2 year old on one's own. Theresa had agreed to this. 

"Anyway, we'll be at this number and your dad and I both have our cell phones, okay?" Gabi asked her daughter.

She nodded, "Okay mom. Go have a good time already."

Ryan walked into the room, "Okay Michael is watching a movie, Angie's watching it with him, and Liam is…"

"Right behind me," she said as she picked her little brother up. "We'll be fine, dad. Amber is going to be here in like 5 minutes, okay?"

"All right; we'll see you later," he said as he kissed her head.

They drove to the restaurant where they met up with the others.

* * *

"Thank you for suggesting this Troy," Kelsi said as they were seated. "This has to have been the craziest week ever," she said. 

Sharpay nodded, "Just a little," she said. She turned to Ryan, "So how's Theresa doing? I mean how did she do with going back to school?"

"She's all right; she and Kari are banned from ever seeing each other outside of school ever again, but other than that, she's okay."

"That's good," Sharpay said.

"And uh Kayleigh and Larissa," Gabi asked, "How are they getting along?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, "Don't get me started. Let's just say that they're both planning on trying out for the same musical at the children's community theatre."

Gabi chuckled, "They remind me of you and me with the whole musical thing."

"On a completely different note," Kelsi said, "I just found out that my play is going to be performed at USC," she said proudly.

"That's great, Kelsi," Troy said. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said.

Ryan's cell phone then rang. He looked at the caller ID, "Why is dad calling me," he asked.

"Well try answering it, Ryan," Sharpay said, rolling her eyes. "Maybe he'll tell you."

He opened his phone, "Hi dad…wait, say that again," he said, his face changing to a rather somber look. "You're sure," he said, feeling a lump in his throat. "Yes, I'll tell her…Okay." He hung up and just stared at his phone. Had he heard his father right?

"Ryan, what's wrong," Sharpay asked.

He looked up at her, "Um dad said he got a call from the hospital."

"Is he okay," she asked, now rather worried.

"Yes he's fine," he said quietly. "It's about mom."

Sharpay's eyes widened, "Wait, mom as in the woman who left when we were about 10 years old?"

He nodded, "Yeah, her. Apparently she had cancer," he said.

"Is…is she okay," she asked, taking Troy's hand.

"No," he said quietly. "She's gone, Sharpay." He shook his head, "She had this cancer and didn't bother to tell us," he said.

Sharpay just sat there, not knowing what to feel.

Troy looked at her, "Sharpay? Are you okay?"

She stared at her plate and then looked up, "Excuse me," she said as she got up and walked out of the restaurant and sat down on the bench.

"I-I'm sorry, Ryan," Jason said. "I know she left when you were young, but that still…"

_When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me_

"I need to check on her," Ryan said, getting up to check on his sister. He walked out to Sharpay and sat down next to her. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she said, sniffling. "This doesn't seem real," she said after a moment.

"I know," he said, taking her hand.

"What are we supposed to do about this," she asked.

_If the sky that we look upon  
Should tumble and fall  
And the mountains should crumble to the sea  
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me_

Troy walked out to where Sharpay and Ryan were. He walked to Sharpay, "Come here," he said.

She walked over to him and held on to him, "She's gone," she said, starting to shake.

"It'll be okay," he said.

She shook her head, "I barely remember her, Troy."

Ryan walked over to them, "Neither of us does. Should we end the night…?"

Gabi walked out to Ryan, "I'm so sorry," she said, hugging him.

"Yes," Sharpay said, answering Ryan's question. "We should say goodbye first."

"All right," Troy said.

They walked back inside, told Jason and Kelsi that they had to end the evening a little early, to which both completely understood.

"She didn't even tell us she was sick!" Sharpay said in the car as Troy drove them home.

The rest of the drive home was silent. As they walked into the house Sharpay walked past her rather confused children and into her and Troy's room.

Troy thanked the baby-sitter and paid her. After she left, he told the kids to wait downstairs, that he would tell them what happened later. He walked into their room and held a now crying Sharpay.

_And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me  
Stand by me, stand by me_

* * *

**Yes, I know, rather sad. I for some reason got this idea as I was listening to this song. And then I started to remember my grandfather (even though he passed away from a sudden heart attack and we were very close to him). **

**Anyway, what do you think? Suggestions/ideas are welcome. Thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so glad that you all liked the previous chapter! Thank you for the reviews and now here is chapter 8!**

**A/N: nneessssaa, you practically put a line in the story for me! Don't worry, that's a good thing. :-)  
**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 8**_

Troy stayed with Sharpay until she felt a little better. He then walked downstairs and gathered all four children up and sat them down to tell them why they were home so early and why their mom was so sad.

"Is mommy okay," Zachary asked as he sat down in the family room.

"She will be," Troy said, taking a deep breath. How was he going to tell them that their grandmother, whom they never met, had passed away? This was going to be harder than he thought.

He looked at the kids, "You know how people get sad when something happens, right? Well something sad happened to mommy tonight." He sighed, "Her and Uncle Ryan's mom…she passed away."

The kids were emotionless at first, not knowing what to think or say for that matter.

"I didn't know her," Larissa said. "What was she like?"

Troy sighed, "Well honey, I had never met her before either. You see, when mommy was just a little bit younger than you, her mom left and went to California…to live."

"What do you mean," Kayleigh asked.

"She just felt that she couldn't take care of mommy and Uncle Ryan, honey," he said, trying to explain what had happened to Sharpay.

Ana walked over to her dad, "Since we didn't know her…are we not allowed to be sad," she asked, wiping a loose tear that fell down her face.

He hugged her, "You are allowed to be sad, sweetheart because she was your grandmother; even if you never did get to meet her. And that is one of the reasons I wanted to have you all in here right now," he said, turning to the other three kids (since Ana was still sitting by Troy). "We need to be very, very nice to mommy right now. I don't want to hear any fighting or yelling. Even though mom didn't know her mom very well, that doesn't mean she isn't sad," he said, hoping to get through to the kids.

Sharpay took that moment to walk downstairs to the family room. She gave them a sad smile as she sat down next to Troy.

Ana walked over to her, "I'm sorry about your mommy, mom," she said, giving her a hug.

"Thank you," Sharpay said hoarsely as she hugged her back.

"Is it bad to talk about your mommy," Zachary asked.

She shook her head, "No honey, it isn't bad if you talk about her; you didn't know her, and I barely knew her…but it's okay to talk about her," she said, wiping a few more tears away.

* * *

**Evans Home; Same Time…**

Theresa saw her parents walk through the door. She looked at the clock, "7:30? What are they doing home," she asked Amber who was standing next to her, holding Liam.

"I don't know, but it looks like your dad seems sad or something," she said as she looked over at him.

Gabi walked to the two girls, "Amber thank you for helping Theresa this evening; I'm sorry to have cut this so short, but dad and I need to talk to you guys," she said to Theresa.

Amber nodded, knowing that it was now time to go home, "Thanks for letting me help Theresa," she said as she handed Liam to Gabi and walked downstairs and to the door, Gabi walking with her.

"It was no problem, and we do appreciate you coming over," she said. "Do you need a ride home?"

She shook her head, "No I don't live that far…I walked here anyway," she said as she opened the door. "I hope that everything is okay."

"It will be," Gabi said as she let the very wise 13 year old out. Once she had left, Gabi told Theresa to go into the living room; that she would be down after she got the other kids.

Once they were all downstairs in the living room, Gabi sat down, not knowing if Ryan was going to come back into the living room or not. Right as they got home, he had gone upstairs to call his dad, but Gabi knew that he wasn't just calling his father. "All right you are probably all wondering what you're doing here and why your dad looks so sad, am I right," she asked.

All four kids nodded.

"Well your dad is very sad because he just found out that his mom passed away," she said, not knowing any other way to put it.

"What does 'passed away' mean, mommy," Angie asked.

"It's a nice way of saying someone died," Theresa said to her sister.

Angie turned to her mom, shocked, "Daddy's mommy died?"

She nodded, "Yes sweetheart, she did."

"I didn't know her though," Michael said. "So are we supposed to care?"

Gabi looked at her son, "Yes, I would like it if you did care; even though you never met her, your dad…and Aunt Sharpay for that matter are very sad right now. Does that answer your question?"

He nodded.

Ryan, still in his and Gabi's room, wiped his eyes with the tissue he had in his hands one more time before walking downstairs to where his family was. As he walked over to them, Angie ran over to him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry you're sad, daddy," she said.

He gave her a small smile and picked her up, "Thank you honey," he said quietly.

"What was grandma like," Theresa asked.

Ryan, still holding Angie, sat down next to Gabi, "Well I didn't know her very well, but for the time that I did know her she was very sweet and she was the one who got your mom and me into acting."

"How did you not know her," Michael asked. "She was your mom."

"She left us when we were about 10 years old," he explained to his son. "After she left, she never came back home so Aunt Sharpay and I never got to know her as we got older," he explained.

* * *

**Two Days Later…**

"That was a lovely service, thank you so much for leading it, Reverend," Sharpay said as she and Ryan walked over to him.

He nodded, "Of course," he said.

Neil (Sharpay and Ryan's dad) walked over to the two, "How are you two holding up," he asked.

Sharpay shrugged, "All right I guess," she said as she hugged him.

"So," he said, changing the subject, "I hear that next weekend Kayleigh and Larissa are going to be trying out for a play at the Children's Community theatre?"

She nodded, "Yeah, they're both trying out."

"That should be interesting," Ryan said.

"Yeah right; they're both trying out for the same part," Sharpay said. "Anyway, we should probably get going," she said as she hugged her dad again. "I still can't believe you found those pictures from when we were little."

"You'd be surprised as to what is in the attic," he said with a small smile as he pulled out a picture of Ryan and Sharpay with their mom. The picture had been taken after the two had starred in their first play together…when they were 6 years old.

Sharpay and Ryan just looked at the picture, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you still have this," she said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"Of course I do," he said. "I carry it around all the time."

Ryan smiled, "We're so…little."

"We were 6 years old, Ryan. Of course we were little," Sharpay said as she looked at the picture for a few more minutes.

* * *

**The Following Weekend…**

"Girls, let's go," Sharpay called. It was time for them to get going to the audition for the play that the Children's Community Theatre was putting on.

"Coming," Larissa called as she walked down the stairs.

Kayleigh, who was right behind her, decided she wanted to get downstairs first. She shoved past her sister, thus causing Larissa to lose her balance and accidentally fall back on to Kayleigh. "Mom Larissa hit me," Kayleigh yelled.

Larissa stood up, "I did not! You made me fall down."

"We are not starting this again," Sharpay said as she took Kayleigh's hand and brought her downstairs, "I won't have you getting your sister into trouble again," she said. Sharpay couldn't help but to remember the conversation she had overheard between Larissa and Ana, thus causing her to believe that whenever Kayleigh and Larissa were having a fight, Kayleigh was probably to blame about 80 percent of the time.

Larissa smiled to herself and got up and walked downstairs.

"But she tripped me, mom!"

"Kayleigh do you or do you not want to audition for this play," Sharpay asked in a stern voice.

Kayleigh didn't answer; she simply stomped out to the garage and waited for her mom and sister to come out.

Sharpay shook her head and walked out to the car, Larissa close behind.

Once at the theatre, Sharpay signed both girls in and waited for their names to be called. She made sure to sit between them so they couldn't start fighting again.

The director walked up to the stage after a little boy finished singing. "Larissa Bolton," she said.

Larissa took a deep breath and walked up to the stage. "I'm going to sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone,'" she said to the pianist.

She nodded and started playing the introduction.

Larissa closed her eyes for a moment and then looked out and started to sing.

_When you walk through a storm  
Keep your chin up high  
And don't be afraid of the dark.  
At he end of the storm  
Is a golden sky  
And the sweet silver song of a lark._

_Walk on through the wind,  
Walk on through the rain,  
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on  
With hope in your heart  
And you'll never walk alone,  
You'll never walk alone._

As she finished, she looked over at her mom and sister. Sharpay was smiling while Kayleigh was frowning.

"I did it," Larissa said as she walked back to Sharpay and sat down.

"You did a wonderful job," she said, trying to hide the tears in her eyes.

"Mom, what's wrong," Larissa asked.

She sighed, "That's the song that my mom would always sing to Ryan and me before we would go to sleep at night," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Kayleigh Bolton," the director called.

As Kayleigh got up and walked past Larissa, she looked at her, "You made mom cry…and you didn't do a good job at all," she said smugly, knowing that her sister was still sensitive when it came to performing and criticism, even if it was from her 7 year old sister.

Sharpay, hearing what Kayleigh said, took her hand, "I am warning you, Kayleigh Michelle; if you cannot behave, you aren't going to come to the callbacks, do you understand?"

She frowned, "Fine." She walked up to the stage and told the director what she was going to sing. The pianist nodded and Kayleigh sang 'Reflection' from "Mulan." ((I didn't feel like putting the lyrics in…I'm too lazy, LOL))

When she finished she walked off the stage and back to her mom, "Well, how did I do?"

"Very well," Sharpay said, with a smile. She looked at Larissa, "Care to comment?"

She looked up, "That was good," she said sincerely. She wasn't about to let Kayleigh get away with anything.

After finding out that they would receive a phone call about the callbacks, they walked to the car. Sharpay's cell phone rang as they were walking to the car, giving Kayleigh the perfect opportunity to say what she had wanted to say. "I bet I did a better job than you," she said smugly.

Larissa just frowned and got into the car, not saying anything to Sharpay.

Sharpay got off the phone and looked over at Larissa, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Larissa said angrily.

She sighed, "Okay," she said as she started the car and drove home.

* * *

"Come on you can do it," Troy said to Zach as he took the ball and walked to where the free throw line would normally be (they didn't have an actual basketball court). 

He nodded and threw the ball and watched it sail through the air and go into the basket. "I did it," he said excitedly. "Ana did you see me?" He asked his sister who was also playing a little.

She nodded, "Good job…I told you that you could do it," she said.

Zach, who had picked up the ball, handed it to Ana, "Now you try."

She shook her head, "No…I don't think I could do it."

Troy smiled at her, "Of course you can," he said. "Come on honey. At least try."

"Okay," she said, walking to where Zachary was. She threw the ball and it too went into the basket. "Whoa," she said.

"I think we have another basketball player in the family," Troy said, smiling.

Ana smiled, but when she realized what her dad had just said, she shook her head, "I need to go do homework," she said, giving the ball back to Troy as she ran into the house.

* * *

Larissa got out of the car and walked into the house, Sharpay and Kayleigh close behind. 

"Larissa tell me what is going on," Sharpay said, stopping her daughter from going upstairs.

"It's nothing," she said as she started walking upstairs.

Sharpay stopped her, "Larissa. Tell me what is going on. I can tell that something is bothering you honey."

She shook her head, "You'll just get mad at me."

"Try me," Sharpay said, walking her into the living room.

She sighed, "Kayleigh keeps making those comments…it really bothers me." She shook her head, "See I told you it was stupid," she said, starting to get up when Sharpay stopped her.

* * *

**Hmm, what is Sharpay going to say to Larissa about what she just told her? And sorry I made the funeral so short; I wanted to move on. Is Kayleigh going to be allowed to go to the callback for the show? And what is bothering Ana? Please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome! Thank you for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**All right, thanks to many of you, I know what to do now! LOL. So here is chapter 9!**

**A/N: I'm skipping to when it's May…you'll see why! Thank you lipshake for the idea; I'm just adding to her idea a little! – P.S. Please update your story! LOL, sorry, her story is just very good! ;-)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 9**_

_She sighed, "Kayleigh keeps making those comments…it really bothers me." She shook her head, "See I told you it was stupid," she said, starting to get up when Sharpay stopped her._

"Not so fast," Sharpay said, sitting her back down.

Larissa sighed, "See, I knew you were going to get mad."

She shook her head, "No honey, I'm not mad. I would just like to know why you didn't tell me this before."

"Because you never believe me," Larissa said as she looked at her mom. "That weekend when I was trying to watch a show and milk spilled on Kayleigh…that was an accident and I didn't even do it! She may only be 7, but she is really clever…in a not so good way."

Now it was Sharpay's turn to sigh. How could she have not seen this? She turned to Larissa, "I see," she said, looking towards the stairs. "Anyway, getting back to this afternoon, you really did do a very good job," she said with a smile.

"Thanks," Larissa said, hoping that her mom would pay a little more attention to what kept going on between her and Kayleigh. She got up and left the room.

Sharpay did the same and walked into the family room, but stepped back a little, wanting to see how they really behaved when neither Sharpay nor Troy was around.

Troy walked past her, but Sharpay mouthed, 'not now.' He nodded, knowing he'd find out what was going on later so he continued to go upstairs.

Larissa sat down on the couch and turned on the TV to the channel she wanted to watch. She watched as Kayleigh sat down. "Don't even think about it," Larissa said when Kayleigh tried to get the remote to change the channel.

"But I hate this show," she said, reaching for the remote.

"Then go into another room and watch something else," Larissa said evenly.

She crossed her arms, "Fine I'll watch this," she said, pouting. She decided to at least get one of the pillows that was on the other couch. As she reached for it, she tripped on Larissa's shoe and fell. "Ow! I'm telling," she said.

Larissa shrugged, "What did I do?"

"You tripped me!" She pushed Larissa, causing her to just move to the side a little bit. She stuck her tongue out at Larissa, "Mommy! Larissa tripped…" She looked and saw Sharpay standing there.

* * *

Zach frowned, "Did I say something or do something wrong," he asked, wondering why his sister ran inside. 

Troy shook his head, "No you didn't do anything; but you could help to convince me that your sister really is good at basketball."

"Can I play out here a little more, please," he asked.

"All right; just stay in the yard this time," Troy said, remembering a few weeks ago when Zach decided to wander out of the yard, causing his parents to think he was lost.

He nodded, "Okay."

Troy smiled and walked inside. He saw Sharpay standing there and was about to ask her what was going on when she shook her head and mouthed 'not now.' He nodded and walked past her and up the stairs to Ana's room. He knocked on the door, "Can I come in?"

She looked up from her bed, where she wasn't doing homework like she said she needed to, "Yes."

He walked into the room and sat down on the bed, "So what happened out there? You really are good, honey."

"But basketball is Zach's thing, not mine," she said.

"Ana you two have played out there several times before. Now tell me what's really bothering you," he said looking pointedly at her.

She sighed, "Nothing."

"Anastasia," he pressed.

She took a deep breath, "Well you know how much Zach loves basketball?"

He nodded, "Yes." He paused, "Wait a minute, you love it too?" A small smile appeared on his face.

Ana didn't see the smile; she only heard the words that came out of her dad's mouth. She put her head back into the pillow, "I knew it," she said softly.

"Knew what," Troy asked. "Honey what's the matter?"

By this time, Zach was in the doorway, listening to the conversation.

She wiped her eyes and looked at her dad, "I knew that you wouldn't want me to play…but I really like basketball, dad," she admitted.

He smiled, "I had a feeling that you did. Honey you shouldn't feel like just because your brother likes something that you aren't allowed to like it as well."

Zach walked into the room, "And," he said, walking to where Troy was, "Who else would I play basketball with in the backyard?"

She smiled softly, "I guess you're right."

"Duh," Zach said.

Troy gave him a look, but smiled anyway.

* * *

"Mommy Larissa tripped me," she said, thinking that Sharpay had just walked into the room. 

Larissa stood up and frowned, "I did not!"

"Stop!" Sharpay yelled. She looked at Larissa, "I know you didn't trip her," she said in a normal voice. She then looked at Kayleigh, "You come with me right now," she said rather crossly.

Kayleigh turned to walk to her mom but before she did, she turned and kicked Larissa's leg.

"Ow," Larissa said, glaring at her sister.

"That's it," Sharpay said, walking over to Kayleigh and grabbing her hand. "Let's go." She practically dragged her out of the room and upstairs to her and Troy's room after noticing that Troy was in her room with Ana and Zach. "Sit down," she ordered.

Kayleigh sat down. She had never seen her mom this angry before…not even at Larissa.

"I am very disappointed in you, Kayleigh Michelle. Not only have you been hurting your sister's feelings, but you have been lying to your father and me too." She shook her head, "You are grounded; you are not going to those callbacks and don't even think about going downstairs to blame your sister," she said when she saw Kayleigh start to get up.

She sat her back down, "You have talent when it comes to acting, but that does not give you the right to act like a…brat."

Kayleigh couldn't believe what her mom had just said. "But mommy…"

"Oh no, you are not starting that again," Sharpay said, knowing where she was going with this. "Look at me, Kayleigh."

Kayleigh looked up at her mom.

"I am sick and tired of this innocent act," she said sternly. "And I know you understand what I am saying."

She did indeed understand perfectly well what her mom was saying. "I want to be in the callbacks," she said after a few moments of silence.

Sharpay shook her head, "I'm sorry but your behavior has proven that you're not mature enough to be in a community theatre play. Do you know what community means?"

She shrugged, "No."

"It means people coming together and you are definitely far from that with your sister; she hasn't done anything to you. Why do you keep blaming Larissa for everything anyway?"

"I don't know," she said softly. She stomped her foot on the ground, "I don't want to be grounded!" She yelled as she began her temper tantrum. "I want to be in the play mommy!"

She shook her head, "I'm sorry but the answer to both is no," she said calmly. She had to keep in mind that her daughter was only 7 years old…but for a 7 year old she was like Larissa said, rather clever.

Kayleigh sat down on the floor and sobbed. "I'm sorry," she cried. "Mommy I'm sorry!"

Sharpay sighed. While she was very angry with her, she still loved her very much. "I know you're sorry," she said softly, "But I think you need to apologize to someone else as well."

"No!" She tried to run out of the room but Sharpay stopped her.

"Kayleigh Michelle Bolton that is enough," Sharpay said, her voice rising.

* * *

**At the Same Time…**

Troy smiled at Ana, "Are you feeling a little better now?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Zach looked at Ana and then at Troy, "Can we go back outside and play some more? I want to be really good when I go to camp!" He said with a smile.

Troy smiled, "All right, I suppose we can…" He stopped when he heard Kayleigh screaming. "Um why don't you two go out and play and I'll be out there in a few minutes, okay?"

They nodded both wondering what was going on.

After going downstairs, Troy walked into his and Sharpay's room, "What is going on in here," he asked.

Sharpay stood up, looking like she had just been through a war. "In a nutshell, Kayleigh is grounded due to the fact that she cannot seem to grasp the concept of being civil; instead, she has been finding ways to get Larissa into trouble," she said, looking at Kayleigh who was starting to calm down.

"I see," Troy said.

"Daddy I want to be in the callbacks," she pleaded through her tears.

"Well what did your mom say?"

That did it. Kayleigh was infuriated. "You're not fair!" She screamed.

"I do not appreciate being screamed at, young lady," Troy said sternly.

Sharpay walked over to her, "Come on, you're going to your room," she said, taking Kayleigh's hand and leading her to her room. Once in there, she sat her on the bed, "You know better than to yell at your father, Kayleigh. I'll be back up here in a little while." She left the room, but kept the door open; she didn't want to literally imprison her daughter.

"That was…intense," Troy said when Sharpay walked downstairs. "I've never seen her act out like that before."

She nodded, "Yes you have; do you remember when she was thriving for attention? She was 5."

He nodded, "Yeah…" He looked over at Ana and Zach, "At least we have two kids who get along."

Sharpay looked out the window and saw Ana and Zach playing basketball; actually it was more like them taking turns throwing the ball from the free throw line and then running with the ball to the basket and throwing the ball in. "Wow, I never knew how good Ana was."

"Neither did she," he said, smiling. He walked outside to continue their game.

Sharpay smiled as she watched Ana and Zach play.

Larissa walked over to her mom, "So…am I in trouble," she asked.

She shook her head, "No honey, you're not." Sharpay would have said more, had her head not started to pound. "Oh, my gosh," she said, sitting down on the couch, her head in her hands.

Larissa hurried over to her mom, "Mom? What's wrong?"

"My…head," she said.

Larissa ran outside, "Dad! Something's wrong with mom!"

* * *

**Uh oh, what's wrong with Sharpay? Oh, and I know I made Sharpay really harsh on Kayleigh, but trust me – she needed a little kick in the behind. ;-) Anyway, please let me know what you think and suggestions/ideas are welcome! And Zach's going to basketball camp! See why I sped up time now? Hehe. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay after much wondering as to what is going on with Sharpay, I give you the answer…just please remember that I'm not a doctor! So this information may not be completely accurate.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 10**_

_She shook her head, "No honey, you're not." Sharpay would have said more, had her head not started to pound. "Oh, my gosh," she said, sitting down on the couch, her head in her hands._

_Larissa hurried over to her mom, "Mom? What's wrong?"_

"_My…head," she said._

_Larissa ran outside, "Dad! Something's wrong with mom!"_

Troy stopped what he was doing and hurried inside to where Sharpay was, "Honey, what's wrong," he asked.

She looked up at him squinting, since the light was hurting her eyes. "Migraine," she whispered. "Troy I'm going to be sick."

He helped her to the bathroom and held her hair back as she got sick.

Once she was finished, she slid down to the floor, her head feeling a bit better, but not much. "What is wrong with me," she asked.

"I'm not sure, but we are taking you to the doctor first thing in the morning," he said as he helped her up to their room and to the bed. He went into the bathroom and grabbed the medication she was taking for the migraines she was getting every now and then and a glass of water. He walked back over to her, "Do you think you can keep this down," he asked.

She nodded, "Yeah…I'm not feeling all that sick right now," she said quietly, taking the pill and water from Troy. After taking the pill, she lay down and closed her eyes.

Troy took the blanket that was on the bed and covered her with it. He walked back downstairs, only to be greeted by three very worried faces. "Mom's going to be okay," he reassured them.

"Are you sure," Larissa asked, still worried.

He nodded, "Yes honey, she'll be fine." He proceeded to walk into the kitchen and found Sharpay's address book which contained the number of her internist. He dialed the number and made an appointment for the next morning, hoping that she would be able to help Sharpay with whatever was going on.

* * *

**Next Morning…**

Sharpay had been able to get a good night's sleep, thanks to the medicine. "Good morning," she said, coming down the stairs and into the kitchen. She had to blink a few times just to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was: all four of her children were dressed and ready to go to school (since it was Monday) and were eating breakfast.

Ana hurried over to her mom, "Do you feel better, mom," she asked wrapping her arms around her.

"Yes, I feel better," she said as she hugged her back. She walked over to the table and sat down.

"Mommy," Kayleigh started.

_Uh oh,_ Sharpay thought to herself. "Yes," she said, wiping her eyes.

"I said I was sorry to Larissa," she said, giving her best innocent look.

"Good," Sharpay said, taking the glass of orange juice that Troy had just handed her, "Thank you."

"So can I be in the callbacks," she asked.

Sharpay sighed and looked at her, "No Kayleigh. We talked about this yesterday. You're grounded, remember?"

"But I said I was sorry," she whined as her voice rose, causing Sharpay to rub her temples.

"Kayleigh, I said no and that is my final answer," she said.

Kayleigh turned to Troy, "Please, daddy," she pleaded.

He shook his head, "You heard your mother."

"Ugh!" She got up and left the table and grabbed her backpack.

"Where do you think you're going," Troy asked.

"School, duh," she said with an attitude.

Sharpay groaned, not wanting to deal with this again.

Troy walked over to Kayleigh, "We are not ready to go yet," he said sternly.

Sharpay got up, "I'm going to go get dressed," she said as she walked upstairs.

* * *

"Well that wasn't too bad," Sharpay said as they drove to the doctor's office after dropping the kids off at school. 

He nodded, "I still think that Kayleigh is going to keep trying to get you to say yes to the callbacks," he said, glancing over at her.

"Well she will just have to deal with the consequences of what she did," she said, looking out the window.

Once they arrived at the doctor's office, Sharpay signed herself in and sat down next to Troy, still very nervous. What if this was something like cancer…or an aneurysm?

"Sharpay Bolton," the nurse called.

Sharpay stood up, "I'll be back soon," she said, giving Troy a quick kiss before following the nurse to the exam room.

"The doctor will be with you in a few minutes," she said after taking Sharpay's blood pressure.

"Thank you," Sharpay said as she took a deep breath.

The door soon opened, "Good morning, Sharpay," Dr. Weiss said as she entered the room.

"Morning," Sharpay said, starting to feel herself tense up.

"So from what I have gathered, you have been having more migraine headaches?"

She nodded, "Yes and I had one yesterday that was…well it was probably the worst one I've ever had."

"I see," she said, writing something down. "Are you by any chance taking birth control pills?"

"Yes," she said slowly, "Why?"

"Well there have been studies that have said that birth control pills can cause migraines. Is there a particular reason you are taking them? I know that you and your husband aren't trying to get pregnant…"

"No, we're not. I take them because of my horrible menstrual cycles," she explained.

"Yes, that's right; you told me about that," she said. "You went to see your OB/GYN about this, right?"

She nodded, "Yes and she is the one who put me on the headache medication," she said.

Dr. Weiss wrote more down. "All right." After a few minutes, she came to a conclusion. "I think you are suffering from tension headaches. In other words, you have a lot of stress in your life right now."

Sharpay nodded, "This is true." She sighed, "So how do I get rid of the tension headaches?"

"Easy: reduce the amount of stress in your life."

"Yeah, easy for you to say," she said. "You don't have four kids, all of whom are completely different and one of whom is a complete drama queen," she said, remembering yesterday. Just thinking about it gave her a headache. "Oh no," she said.

"What's wrong," she asked.

"Could my daughter be the cause of my headaches?"

She shook her head, "No, I don't think that your daughter alone is doing anything to cause all of this stress. It must be other factors as well." She went on to explain to Sharpay what the factors could be, many of which Sharpay ended up saying that she had.

"Poor sleep…sometimes," she said. "I don't really have any problems at home," she said.

"In any case, this is probably what you're suffering from," she said as she wrote out a prescription. "I'd like you to try taking this; it's basically Advil, only stronger. It should help and stop taking the migraine medication."

Sharpay breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't anything too serious.

* * *

Troy sat in the waiting room, not being able to help worrying about what was going on inside the exam room. "Please let her be okay," he said to himself. He saw the door open and watched as Sharpay walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him, tearing up. "Is everything all right," he asked, expecting the worst. 

She nodded, "Yeah…get this: it wasn't a migraine problem at all. I have been having chronic tension headaches," she said.

"Well that's a relief," he said. "I thought it was something…"

"More serious," she finished for him. "Me too," she said, taking a deep breath. "Basically she said to try and reduce the amount of stress at home."

"That should be fun," he said as they walked out to the car.

* * *

**Saturday…**

Sharpay had made sure to get the prescription filled right away. She had started taking the new medication, only as needed (since that was what the directions said) and tried her best to avoid the stressful situations…which wasn't easy at all.

"I'll get it," Sharpay said when the phone rang. "Hello…yes, this is their mother…really…yes…all right, thank you very much," she said. She hung up and looked at Kayleigh and Larissa. "That was the children's community theatre," she said, feeling a headache wanting to come on.

"What did they say," Larissa asked excitedly.

"Well you got a callback," she said with a smile.

"Yes!" Larissa ran to her mom, "Thank you!"

"For what," she asked.

"Making me want to act," she said.

She smiled, "You're welcome."

Kayleigh looked at her mom, "Did I get a callback?"

She sighed, "Yes but you're not going," she said.

"But I want to," she whined.

Oh boy, here it came…not only the tantrum from Kayleigh, but the headache Sharpay could feel coming on.

"What happened," Zach asked.

"I got a callback," Larissa said happily.

He smiled, "See, I told you," he said as he walked into the backyard.

Ana, who was right behind Zach smiled, "Good job, Larissa." She followed her brother outside.

Larissa went upstairs to call Maya to tell her the good news.

Kayleigh looked at her mom, "You're not fair," she pouted.

"Not now, Kayleigh," Sharpay said.

"But I want to do the callbacks!" She yelled.

"Kayleigh that is enough," Troy said, coming into the room. He looked at Sharpay and could see that another headache was coming on. "Come on, let's go upstairs," he said to Kayleigh.

"No!"

He took her hand and led her upstairs.

* * *

Theresa was beaming. Her parents had said that she could attend a party that her friend Shelly was throwing. It wasn't going to be at all like the one that Katie's friend Emily threw; this time Shelly's parents were actually going to check up on the kids periodically. 

"Are you ready to go," Gabi asked as she came into her room.

She nodded, "Yes…thanks mom, for letting me go."

"Just make sure you don't do anything you shouldn't," she said.

"I won't." They walked down to the car.

Once they arrived at Shelly's house, Theresa said goodbye to her mom and rang the doorbell.

Shelly answered, "Hi, you're just in time," she said, pulling her into the house.

"Just in time for what," Theresa asked.

"Come on," she said, leading her downstairs.

"Please don't tell me you're drinking or…"

She rolled her eyes, "Theresa I'm not that stupid. Anyway, no it's not that. Have you ever played 7 Minutes in Heaven?"

She shook her head, "No…"

"Perfect!" She led her to where the party was. "It's just like Spin the Bottle."

Theresa followed her but stopped when she saw Jordan…and Kari.

Jordan smiled and walked over to her, "Hi, I've missed you," he said softly.

She made a face, "Oh please," she said as she was pulled by Shelly to where everyone was sitting…Jordan and Kari soon joined the group.

"Okay you all know how this works," Shelly said. "Jordan, you have to go first."

He nodded, "Okay." He spun the bottle and it landed on…well no one. It was between Theresa and another girl. But Jordan just smiled and grabbed Theresa's hand and took her into the closet.

Kari just sat there, stunned, "What the…"

Theresa pushed Jordan away from her, "I don't want to do this," she said, wanting to get out.

"But we have to be in here for 7 minutes," he said, invading her personal space.

"Jordan, let me out. Please." Theresa tried to get out, but Jordan, being taller and stronger than her blocked her way and pushed her to the back of the closet.

"Oh come on," he said as he kissed her. "You know you want me."

"No, I really don't," she said, now getting scared. "Let me out."

"But I thought this was what you wanted," he said, forcing himself onto her.

She managed to push him off, "No, it isn't! Now let me out!" She was about to open the door when he pushed her back.

"You are not about to make me look bad," he said.

"Jordan you're scaring me. Please let me out," she said, close to tears.

Meanwhile, while everyone else was talking and listening to music for at least 5 more minutes, Kari could sense that something wasn't right.

* * *

**I know, I'm really evil. So will Kari come to Theresa's rescue or will she be a b-tch again and not care about what happens to Theresa? And you can rest easy about Sharpay, LOL. **

**Oh, and someone was wondering what the play that theatre is doing was. It's _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat._ Anyway, please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for all the reviews! I loved hearing your opinions on what Kari should do. Anyway, here is the answer, LOL.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 11**_

_Meanwhile, while everyone else was talking and listening to music for at least 5 more minutes, Kari could sense that something wasn't right._

She walked over to the door but stopped short. _Who cares if she isn't having the best time of her life in there_, she thought to herself. She started to walk away when she heard a banging come from the other side of the door.

Theresa tried to break free of Jordan's grasp but he ended up pinning her up against the door. "Let me go," she said as tears began to stream down her face.

He shook his head, "Not until I get what I want," he said as he moved closer to her.

It was at this moment that Kari chose to open the door, "Is this what you want," she asked as she punched him in the face. She knelt down and helped Theresa, who had fallen over when Kari opened the door, up. "Are you okay," she asked.

Theresa nodded, "I think so."

Kari turned to Jordan, "You are such a jerk," she said to him. "Come on," she said to Theresa.

As the two were about to go, Jordan grabbed Kari's shirt, "You're going to pay for that," he sneered.

Just as he was about to grab Kari, Theresa kicked him where the sun doesn't shine (you know where I mean!). "I don't think so," she said, feeling a sudden burst of adrenaline.

Shelly ran over to them, "What on earth did you do in there," she asked, shocked to see Theresa in tears, Kari holding her arm where Jordan had grabbed it, and Jordan holding his nose, where Kari had punched him.

"Just get him out of here," Kari said, glaring at Jordan. She took Theresa's hand and walked up to the main floor. Once over there, the two sat down, "Are you sure you're all right," she asked sincerely.

Theresa wiped her eyes, "Yeah…I didn't think that anyone could hear what was going on, what with the music and all," she said as she took a tissue and placed it on her lip which was bleeding, courtesy of Jordan.

Kari shrugged, "I had this feeling that something wasn't right…"

"Like we used to," Theresa said, looking at the floor.

She sighed, "Theresa I was a jerk for telling him that I'd be his girlfriend. To be honest, he told me that you two had broken up over the summer." She shook her head, "But that still isn't an excuse for what I did to you…that fight I mean…it was just wrong…not to mention stupid." She paused, "I don't blame you for hating me."

Theresa smiled softly, "I don't hate you," she said after a moment. "I mean, we've been best friends ever since you moved here in 4th grade; it's just…seeing you with him…that made me really mad, not to mention jealous. I had a feeling that he was seeing only me while we were dating."

Kari nodded, "Yeah, me too. That is why I started that stupid fight. He alluded to being back with you."

Theresa looked over at Jordan, who was also upstairs. He had been kicked out of the party by Shelly and was waiting for his parents. "He is in big trouble," she said when she saw Shelly's mother come over to him. "I hate him," she said with venom in her voice.

"So do I," Kari said. "He could have really hurt you," she said softly.

"Thanks for opening the door," Theresa said as she moved so she was sitting next to Kari.

"Thanks for getting him away from me," Kari said, turning to Theresa. She paused, "Friends?"

She nodded, "Friends." The two hugged. "I don't know about you but I really want to go home."

"Me too," Kari said. She saw Shelly's mother walk over to them, "Uh oh," she said quietly.

"Shelly told me what happened," she said as she looked at the two. "Are you girls all right?"

They nodded, "Yes, we're fine, thank you," Theresa said.

"Good…Theresa I know you probably didn't want me to do this, but I called your parents…"

"Oh no," she groaned. "They are going to be so…"

"Theresa!" Ryan exclaimed as he walked into the house. He hurried over to her and hugged her as tightly as he could, "Are you okay," he asked once he let go of her.

She nodded, "Yes, thanks to Kari," she said, tilting her head towards her once again best friend.

He smiled, "Thanks Kari," he said as he gave her a hug as well. He turned back to Theresa, "Mom said that she wants you home…now," he said in a completely calm voice. "She's pretty worried about you."

"Okay," she said. She stood up and looked over at Kari, "Um can we give Kari a ride home?"

He nodded, "Yeah, let's go," he said, hugging Theresa once more.

* * *

**Bolton Home…**

After calling Maya to tell her the good news, Larissa came back downstairs and saw her mom sitting at the kitchen table, rubbing her forehead. "Are you okay mom," she asked, sitting beside her.

Sharpay looked up at Larissa, "Yes, I'll be fine honey. I'm just not feeling very…" Before she could finish, she suddenly felt very sick. "Excuse me," she said, hurrying off to the bathroom.

Larissa watched as her mom flew out of the kitchen. "I wonder," she thought aloud to herself.

"You wonder what," Troy asked as he came back into the kitchen after having given Kayleigh a rather stern talking to.

She shook her head, "Nothing."

"Okay," he said, not feeling like pursuing it. He looked around, "Where's your mom?"

"She said she felt sick and then she ran into the bathroom," she said, a worried look on her face. "You said she was okay dad."

He sighed and sat down, "She is honey. The headaches that she sometimes gets cause her to feel sick sometimes," he said as he placed his hand on hers. "She'll be just fine," he said when he saw Sharpay emerge from the bathroom. He walked over to her, "How are you feeling?"

"Ugh," she answered. "But I am kind of hungry," she said as she walked to the fridge.

Larissa made a face, "But you just got sick mom."

"I know," she said, turning back to face Larissa. "I guess I just feel better," she said with a shrug.

"Right," Larissa said.

"Well since you are feeling better, I am going to go outside and see how Ana and Zach are doing," he said. He looked at Larissa, "Want to join us? If I go, there will be an odd number of people out there."

She nodded, "Sure…even though I hate basketball," she said under her breath. She got up and walked outside.

Ana looked up, "You're going to play with us," she asked, shocked.

"Maybe," she said, looking at the sliding door. Troy was still inside talking to Sharpay. She turned to her sister and brother, "We have to be really, really good…mom just got sick from one of those headaches," she said.

"Maybe she's going to have a baby," Zach said as he threw the ball (which went straight into the basket). He hadn't really meant what he said…

"That's what I was thinking," Larissa said, her eyes wide.

Zach stopped dribbling the ball and looked at Ana, "She can't be," he said.

Ana shook her head, "No way."

Larissa shrugged, "Why not? Aunt Gabi had a baby when Theresa was 11."

"But mom was two years younger then," Ana pointed out. "She's too old now," she said, taking the ball from Zach and throwing it into the basket. It too went straight in.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Larissa said. "But we still have to be really good…dad said something about her headaches being from stress…we can't stress her out."

"What do you mean," Zach asked, not completely understanding what his sister was saying.

"I mean we can't fight with each other…at least not in front of her and we should do what she says all the time."

Ana made a face, "But we're not perfect," she pointed out.

"Well duh," Larissa said, rolling her eyes. "We should just try to be nicer to her," she said.

Ana and Zach looked at each other and shrugged, "I guess we can try," Ana said.

"But what about Kayleigh," Zach asked.

Larissa thought for a moment, "I'm not sure…I'll be back," she said, running into the house. She stopped when she saw her mom crying, "Mom, what's wrong now," she asked, walking over to her.

She looked up and wiped her eyes, "Just seeing the three of you together is just so…nice," she said as she smiled at Larissa.

"Okay," she said, now rather skeptical. "I don't think it's just headaches," she said to herself as she walked up the stairs.

* * *

**Evans Home…**

Ryan pulled into the garage and shut the car off and looked at Theresa, who looked rather worried. "Penny for your thoughts," he asked.

"Mom is going to kill me," she said.

He shook his head, "Highly doubtful," he said as he got out of the car. "Come on."

She slowly got out of the car and walked into the house, expecting her mom to come over to her and start yelling. Instead…

"Thank goodness you're okay," she said with relief, wrapping her arms around her daughter.

Theresa, shocked that her mom wasn't about ready to slap her silly hugged her mom back, "I'm okay," she said as she embraced her mom.

Gabi pulled away and wiped her eyes, "I didn't know what to think when I got that call," she said.

"Kari's the one who saved me," she said.

"Kari? Kari Parker was there…as in the girl who you have stated that you hate," Gabi asked.

"That's the one," she said, looking at the floor. "Mom I don't know what would have happened if she hadn't…"

Ryan walked over to Gabi, "Thank goodness she has friends like Kari," he said.

"Friends," Gabi asked, looking rather surprised. "I thought we said that you two weren't allowed…"

"Gabi the girl practically saved our daughter's life. I think that it's safe to say that they aren't going to fight like that again." He looked at Theresa, "Right?"

She nodded, "Right."

* * *

"Can I come in," Larissa asked Kayleigh from the doorway. 

"What do you want," Kayleigh asked, wiping her eyes.

Larissa walked into the room, "Just to talk."

"You mean make me get into trouble again," she said, kicking Larissa in the leg.

"Ow! And no," she said, rubbing her leg. "I just think that…you should quit being such a…I don't know, jerk around mom," she said.

"I'm not a jerk," she pouted. "You are. And I hope you don't get a part in that show," she said. "Because you're a bad singer."

Clearly she wasn't going to get through to her sister…and that last remark didn't exactly help, "Fine," she said, getting up. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Go away!" Kayleigh yelled as she threw a doll at Larissa.

"Kayleigh!" Troy exclaimed from the door, "We do not throw anything at anyone in this house," he said as he walked into the room. He looked at Larissa, "I need to talk to your sister," he said.

Larissa nodded and started to leave the room when…

"Daddy Larissa called me a jerk!"

She turned around, "I didn't mean that you're a jerk, I meant to stop acting like one, especially around mom," she said, hoping that Troy would believe her.

He looked at Larissa, "Even though you meant well, that wasn't necessary," he said firmly.

She nodded, "Sorry." She turned around and walked out of the room and downstairs. As she walked past her mom, she noticed that she was now chuckling about something, "Now what," she asked.

Sharpay turned around, "Hmm? Oh I'm just admiring how well Zach and Ana get along."

"But you were crying about it a minute ago."

"I was," she asked.

"Yeah," Larissa said. She walked back outside and sat down on the steps, now convinced of her theory.

* * *

**Gee, what's Larissa's theory? LOL. I think some of you may know what I am getting at here. I hope you liked this chapter! I tried to incorporate a few other ideas into one. Suggestions/ideas are welcome!**

**P.S. Lipshake – they are 38 years old now, in answer to your question. :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay since I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger in this story, I thought I'd update this one first.**

**A/N: I'm not feeling very well (I have REALLY bad allergies and I think something is going around the center…) so if my writing is a bit off, that is why. I will try my best though!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 12**_

"But you were crying about it a minute ago."

"I was," she asked.

"Yeah," Larissa said. She walked back outside and sat down on the steps, now convinced of her theory.

That Evening…

Troy had given Kayleigh a rather firm talking to about what had happened that day. After having said goodnight to Larissa, he walked into his and Sharpay's room, only to see Sharpay sitting on the bed, looking as if she was deep in thought. "Everything all right," he asked as he sat down next to her.

She nodded, "I think so…it's just…have I been moody lately," she asked, looking over at him.

He shrugged, "Maybe a little but that's only because you have been having those awful headaches," he said.

"Yeah," she said as she lied down. A thought struck her, causing her to bolt straight up again. "Nah," she said, lying back down.

"What is it," he asked.

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head. She sat up again, "Troy what is today's date?"

"It's the 15th. Why?"

Her eyes went wide, "Um, no reason, I was just trying to figure out how many days until…Larissa's callback," she said as she lay back down, now rather curious. Could it be? Was it possible?

* * *

**Next Day (Sunday)…**

Sharpay decided that if she was going to find out, she might as well do it sooner rather than later. "I'm going to the store now," she said to her family who were eating lunch. "Does anyone need anything?"

Larissa just looked at her mom, "I don't but can come with you?"

She hesitated for a moment, "Sure," she said, hoping that Larissa would do her usual wandering about the store to find items that they needed as Sharpay searched for the item she needed.

Larissa got up and placed her plate by the sink.

Once at the store, Sharpay walked into the pharmacy section and straight into the area in which she found what she needed. "Here we are," she said to herself as she placed the item into the cart.

"I got the apples," Larissa said as she walked over to her mom. She looked around, "Why are you in this section?"

"I just needed to look for something," she said as she took the apples from Larissa and placed them on top of the item she herself had just put into the cart. "Okay I think this is it," she said.

Larissa nodded, "Okay." As they got into the check-out line, Sharpay skimmed through a magazine, thus giving Larissa the perfect opportunity to search the cart for what her mom was really looking for. She lifted the bag of apples, "I knew it," she whispered to herself. When she saw Sharpay put the magazine back, she too put the apples back.

"Are you okay honey," Sharpay asked.

She nodded, "Sure, I'm fine," she said, not sure if she should be angry that her mom was hiding this, happy for her mom, or worried.

As the cashier rang the items up, Sharpay glanced down to see that the item she was hiding from Larissa was going to be scanned in a minute. "Honey could you go check to see if I left that coupon I had for the bread in the pharmacy? I think I may have dropped it," she said, hating the fact that she was lying to her daughter.

"You're holding it in your hand, mom," Larissa said, pointing the coupon out.

"Oh…right, I didn't see it," she said.

"Sure you didn't," she muttered to herself.

* * *

**Cross Home… (No, I haven't forgotten about them!)**

Katie searched frantically through her room, "Where is it," she asked herself as she looked under the bed, inside her desk, and on her bookshelf. She was about to give up when she saw something in the hallway that made her blood begin to boil. "No…she couldn't have," she said as she walked into the hall, picked up the piece of paper, read it, and scrunched it up angrily. She walked towards her sister's room, "Madison!"

Maddy sat on her bed with the small book when she heard her sister call her name, "What," she asked innocently.

"Where is it? Where is my diary," she growled. She looked and saw the little book next to Maddy…opened. "How could you!" She yelled as she snatched the book back, only to see that a few of the pages had been drawn on.

"What do you mean," Maddy asked, close to tears. What had she done wrong? All she wanted to do was find something to color in.

Kelsi walked into the room, "Why are you yelling at your sister?"

Katie showed her the diary, "Look at what she did mom! She stole my diary and then…colored in it!" **(A/N: Okay I don't have a little sister so I never had this happen to me before when I was younger. My brother could care less if I had a diary, LOL)**

Maddy looked up at her mom, "I thought it was a coloring book," she said, wiping her eyes. "Katie always writes in it," she said.

"Well it's not you little…twerp!" She stormed out of the room and closed her door.

Kelsi sighed and sat down next to Maddy, "Honey that was Katie's. "Why did you take it without asking her permission first?"

She shrugged, "I thought that since it was on her bed that it was okay," she said, looking at the floor.

"I see," Kelsi said as she pulled Maddy in close for a hug. "Next time you have to ask before taking, understand," she said firmly but calmly.

She nodded, "Okay mommy."

Kelsi walked out of the room and knocked on Katie's door, "Katherine open up. Now."

Katie opened her door, "What?"

"I do not want to hear that attitude, young lady. Your sister did not mean to just take the diary. Had you not stormed off, you would have heard her say that she thought that since you always write in it and that it was just sitting on your bed that it was okay to take."

"Yeah well it's not," she said. "Look at what she did to my diary! She drew over practically every page!"

"I know and I have talked to her about it. But Katie, she is only 5 years old; she didn't know any better. Besides it's not like she was going to read it…she wouldn't have been able to."

Katie let out an exasperated sigh, "She is always taking my things! She took my…pads last week," she said, saying the last part softly.

"Has it ever occurred to you that she looks up to you," Kelsi asked, sitting down on the bed.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah right."

"Katie if I hear you use that attitude again you will not be going to the movies with your friends this afternoon," she said sternly. "Like I said before; she's 5 and how was she supposed to know that you write your own personal thoughts in your diary or that you use those pads?"

She sighed, "Yeah, I guess," she said as she sat down. "But can't she at least ask first?"

"I just talked to her about that and…" Kelsi looked at the door and saw Maddy standing there.

She walked into the room, "I'm sorry Katie," she said softly.

Katie tried her best to be angry, but her sister was too cute. "Thanks," she said as she smiled faintly. "Just…stop taking my things without asking," she said.

"Okay," she said as she ran back to her room and brought back a large poster. "Here."

Katie's blood began to boil again, "So you took my Orlando Bloom poster," she exploded; not because of the fact that Maddy had taken the poster, but because of the fact that it had several rips in it.

"Katie," her mother warned.

"Mom, look at what she did to my poster! She…destroyed it," she said, looking at Maddy, ready to destroy her.

The phone rang, "I'll go get that," Kelsi said. She looked at Katie, "Don't even think about it," she said to her when she saw the look of 'I'm going to kill you' in her eyes. She got up and went to answer the phone.

Maddy looked at her sister, "I didn't mean to…"

"Get out! I don't care about your stupid apologies," she yelled. "I wish you had never been born!" And with that, she threw her sister out of the room and slammed the door shut.

Maddy ran to Jason who had gotten home about 5 minutes ago and heard the commotion coming from upstairs. She ran into his arms and sobbed, "She hates me!"

Jason picked her up, "No, she doesn't hate you," he said. "She's just very…very mad," he said as he kissed her forehead. He set her down and walked up the stairs and knocked on Katie's door.

"Go away," came the response.

"Open this door right now, Katherine Marie Cross," Jason said, his voice rising as he said her name.

She walked to the door and opened it a crack.

Jason walked into the room, "I never ever want to hear you say anything like that to your sister ever again," he said furiously. "Do you understand?"

"But…"

"No. There is no excuse for telling your sister what you just told her."

Katie slowly nodded, "I was just really…mad," she said in a normal tone of voice. "I didn't actually mean what I said."

"Well I'm glad to hear that; but I think you need to tell your sister. She is under the impression that you meant it."

"Okay," she said as she got up and found Maddy sitting at the bottom of the stairs, crying.

* * *

**Bolton Home…**

As soon as Sharpay and Larissa got home, Sharpay took out the groceries and put them away…all except for one thing. She walked upstairs and into the bathroom, making sure that no one was around. She carefully took the test out of the box and took it. After doing so, she set a timer for 5 minutes and waited.

Kayleigh in the meantime decided to try this 'being nice to people' bit and walked into her mom's room. "Do you feel better," she asked.

Sharpay looked at her daughter, "A little bit. Thank you for asking," she said, giving her a weak smile.

She hesitated for a moment, "I'm sorry mommy," she finally said after a few moments of silence.

"Thank you," Sharpay said. "But I think you need to apologize to someone else as well."

Kayleigh nodded, "Okay," she said, walking downstairs and out to the backyard where she found Zach, Ana, and Larissa playing basketball. She bit her lip and walked over to Larissa, "Larissa," she said, tapping her on the arm since she was too short to reach her shoulder.

Larissa turned around, "What," she asked.

"I'm sorry," Kayleigh said as she looked up at her with big eyes.

Larissa hesitated before saying, "Thank you." As Kayleigh turned to go back inside, Larissa stopped her, "About what I said last night…you know with mom? You have to go easy on her."

She nodded, "Okay." She walked inside and past Troy who smiled and kissed her head,

"Good job," he said.

She gave him a small smile, "Thank you daddy."

"Would you like to play?"

She looked at the game and then at her dad, "Ugh," she said as she walked inside.

He couldn't help but to laugh, "Some things will never change," he said to himself.

Sharpay stared at the test and hurried downstairs and out into the backyard, "Troy," she said, her voice on the brink of breaking, causing her other three children to stop what they were doing.

Troy walked over to her, "What's the matter?"

She took a deep breath, "I'm pregnant, Troy."

He just looked at her, "You're…what?"

"Pregnant. I just took a home pregnancy test," she said, wiping her eyes. "But it has to be wrong, considering the fact that the doctor told me that I'd never have another baby…or get pregnant for that matter."

Still too shocked for words, he just put his arms around her. "Doctors have been wrong before," he said as he pulled away from her. "The last doctor who said you would never get pregnant again wasn't even an Obstetrician. He was an ER doctor who was making sure you were okay after that car accident." He sighed, "Honey, he could have been wrong.

"Maybe," she said after a moment. "But I won't make it past two months," she said.

"You could," Larissa said as she walked to her mom and hugged her. "Becky's mom had her sister when she was older than you…and the baby is fine; Becky also told me that her mom was told that if she ever got pregnant again that she'd lose the baby…but Kevin is fine."

Sharpay smiled, "You are too wise for an 11 year old," she said, kissing the top of her head.

Ana and Zach walked over to their mom and hugged her as well. "I think you'll be okay mommy, so will the baby," Zach said as he looked up at her.

"You see," Troy said, "You've got a bunch of support already," he said as he kissed her.

Kayleigh watched this play out from the steps leading to the door. She frowned; her mom couldn't have another baby.

* * *

**Well, looks like you were all right about Larissa's theory! Oh and I looked it up and it is possible for Sharpay to get pregnant again…but the chances of the baby surviving…well they're not exactly in Sharpay's favor. But then again, who knows! On another note, what do you think about Katie? She's changed…a bit. ;-) Please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Once again, thank you for all the reviews! I truly appreciate them. :-)  
**

**A/N: This chapter is probably going to be kind of short, due to the fact that there are some thunderstorms in the area (some of which may be severe) and I want to post this before they start here!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

_Keeping it Together, Ch. 13_**

_Ana and Zach walked over to their mom and hugged her as well. "I think you'll be okay mommy, so will the baby," Zach said as he looked up at her._

_"You see," Troy said, "You've got a bunch of support already," he said as he kissed her._

_Kayleigh watched this play out from the steps leading to the door. She frowned; her mom couldn't have another baby._

**Two Days Later…**

Sharpay had scheduled an appointment to see her doctor as soon as possible. She wanted to know if she really was pregnant and if she even had a remote chance of carrying this baby to term; something that she did not think would be possible.

"I'm scared Troy," Sharpay said as they followed the nurse into the room. "What if I'm not pregnant, but instead have some horrible disease?"

Troy just looked at her, "Honey I am 99.999 percent sure that you're pregnant," he said as he kissed her.

"But that's still not 100 percent," she said.

"Sharpay."

"Sorry," she said, lying back on the table.

Dr. Jacobs walked into the room, "Good afternoon," she said. "So from what I read you took a pregnancy test and it was positive," she asked.

Sharpay nodded, "Yes but I'm afraid it's something else…you remember how my other pregnancies have gone," she said. "What if this one…"

Troy placed his hand over her mouth, "Why don't we let the doctor do what she has to do," he said to his wife.

"Right," she said as she took a deep breath.

Dr. Jacobs took her stethoscope and placed it on Sharpay's abdomen and listened. "Yep, I definitely hear another heart beat in there," she said.

"But…my chances…" Sharpay said as the doctor prepared the ultrasound.

"Are slim yes, but one never knows," she said as she started the ultrasound. She smiled, "There it is." She pointed to a small object on the screen that was no bigger than Ana's fist.

"Wow," Sharpay said in awe. "I can't believe it," she said quietly as she grabbed Troy's hand. "How far along am I?"

"Well, judging by this, I'd have to say that you're about 10 weeks along," she said, looking closely at the monitor.

Troy took a deep breath, "What are the chances of the baby surviving," he asked nervously.

She sighed, "I'm going to be honest with you; even though Sharpay is over 35, she could still very easily carry to term, but it's not that that I'm concerned about," she said. "I'm more concerned about the fact that she's had quite a few miscarriages."

"Yes, we know that part," Sharpay said as she wiped her eyes. "But what are my chances?"

"Considering the fact that none of the miscarriages you had were life threatening to you and that you have been very healthy since the last…well the last time, I'd give you a 60 percent chance of this baby making it to at least 7 months," she explained.

A small smile came across Sharpay's face, "A 60 percent chance? That's better than what you gave me when I was pregnant a few years ago."

Dr. Jacobs nodded, "Well from what I can see here, everything is going a little better than it did the last time. Things were a little premature a few years ago, but this time I can see that everything is forming exactly when it should be," she said.

"Do I need to be on complete bed rest again?"

She shook her head, "I don't want you to be doing anything that involves stress of course, but I think that for now you can go about your daily life as you would normally do…but I highly suggest you going on a hiatus from work once you reach 3 ½ months," she said.

Troy squeezed Sharpay's hand and smiled, "I can't believe it," he said as he kissed her head. "You're going to have a baby."

Sharpay smiled, "Yeah."

* * *

"So what did the doctor say," Gabi asked that evening. She and Ryan and Jason and Kelsi were having dinner with Troy and Sharpay. 

Sharpay looked at Troy before looking back at Gabi, "She's giving me a 60 percent chance of carrying to at least 7 months."

"That's great," Ryan said. "I mean…"

She nodded, "I know what you mean," she said with a smile.

"How are the kids taking it," Gabi asked as she looked over at Larissa who was talking to Theresa about something.

Troy shrugged, "Well Larissa, Zach, and Ana all seem to be excited but Kayleigh…well I don't think she's too happy about all of this."

Ryan nodded, "The old 'I'm not going to be the youngest anymore' bug probably," he said.

"Exactly," Sharpay said with a sigh. "I just hope she gets past it…soon." She looked over at Kelsi and Jason, "You two are so lucky that Katie was so happy with having a new sister."

"Oh trust me things have changed," Kelsi said, recalling what had happened a few days ago.

"I'm guessing this has to do with privacy," Troy said.

"How did you know," Jason asked.

"Larissa has gotten very angry at both of her sisters whenever they find something in her room that they haven't seen before," Troy said.

* * *

Larissa looked at her cousin, "So what am I supposed to say to him," she asked. 

"Well do you really like him," she asked with a small smile.

"What do you mean by 'like?' Do you mean like I want to date him?"

She nodded, "Yeah, that."

She thought for a moment, "Yeah, sort of…I mean he's really sweet and stuff…but I don't know what I'd say to him," she said blushing.

"Just tell him the truth," Katie said. "Or ask him if he likes acting. Then you two would have something to talk about," she said.

Larissa thought for a moment and then smiled, "Okay…but what if he doesn't like acting?"

"Then ask him something else," Theresa said. "I don't know ask him if he likes something else that you like." She thought for a moment, "Big families. Ask him if he likes big families. And if he has one, then you two could share horror stories and funny stories about your families," she suggested.

Katie giggled, "Big families?"

Theresa shrugged, "It is something that she has…and I have," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," Katie said.

"I can do that…I hope," she said quietly.

"So is he in 6th grade too," Katie asked.

She nodded, "Yeah he just moved here from New York."

Theresa smiled, "Well there you go! If he likes acting, ask him if he's ever been to a Broadway play before. Then ask him if he'll go watch you perform in the show you're in."

"But I'm not in it…yet," she pointed out. Callbacks were still a few days away.

"You know what I mean," Theresa said as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," she said, glancing over at her parents. "What did your mom and dad say when you wanted to date…the jerk?"

"Oh you don't even want to know," she said. "Let's just say that while my mom thought it was okay, my dad completely freaked out."

Larissa sighed, "Great," she said to herself. If her Uncle Ryan freaked out when Theresa wanted to go out with her boyfriend, then she was positive that her dad was going to have a heart attack.

"Hey you can always have him come over for studying or something…that way your parents would be able to meet him first," she said. "By the way, what is his name," Katie asked.

"David," she said with a sigh. "He's so cute."

Theresa smiled, "Do tell."

Katie nodded, "Yeah come on Larissa, give us all the juicy details," she said with a smile.

Larissa smiled, "Okay well he's got dark hair, and he's a little taller than me and…"

"Ooh, Larissa's got a boyfriend," Kayleigh said as she, Angie, and Maddy walked up to the three girls.

"Go away," Larissa said through clenched teeth.

"Hmm, I wonder what mommy would think if she found out that you were dating," she said with a giggle.

Larissa stood up, "I am not dating anyone and don't you even think about telling…"

"Mommy!" Kayleigh called.

"Oh great," Larissa said, sitting back down. She looked up at Kayleigh who was telling Sharpay something. She saw her mom start to get up and walk over to them. "Oh boy, here it comes," she said as she cringed.

* * *

**Uh oh, here comes what? And I'm sorry that the chapter's so short. I wanted to get to the point…and I'm kind of tired, LOL. Anyway, please tell me what you thought! Review:-) Please?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry if this chapter is lousy; I myself feel lousy so I apologize in advance! **

**  
Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 14**_

_Larissa stood up, "I am not dating anyone and don't you even think about telling…"_

"_Mommy!" Kayleigh called._

"_Oh great," Larissa said, sitting back down. She looked up at Kayleigh who was telling Sharpay something. She saw her mom start to get up and walk over to them. "Oh boy, here it comes," she said as she cringed._

Sharpay took Kayleigh's hand and walked over to where Larissa, Katie, and Theresa were sitting. "So," she said to Larissa as she motioned for her to follow her, "Why didn't…"

"Mom I swear, I'm not dating! That's just something that Kayleigh told you so that…"

Sharpay stopped her, "Excuse me, but please don't interrupt me, Larissa," she said. "What I was going to say was why didn't you say anything about liking a boy," she asked as a small smile appeared on her face.

"Oh…um I just…I didn't know how to tell you," she said.

"Well," she said, taking a deep breath, "Congratulations."

"But I…wait, congratulations," she asked, quite puzzled.

It was clear that Kayleigh was rather puzzled as well. "But she's dating mommy!"

Sharpay turned to her daughter, "This is why I brought you over here as well; please apologize to your sister."

"But mommy," she whined.

"Kayleigh," she said sternly, "Apologize."

"Sorry," she muttered.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and looked back at Larissa, "Honey why would I be angry that you have a crush? I mean you're 11 years old. It was bound to happen sooner or later," she said with a smile.

Larissa smiled, "Thanks mom." She hugged her and walked back over to Theresa and Katie, "She's not mad," she said beaming, "At least not at me." She looked over her shoulder and saw Sharpay talking rather crossly to Kayleigh.

"That's exactly how my mom reacted," Theresa said.

"And your dad," Larissa asked.

She shook her head, "You don't want to know."

"Wonderful," she said sarcastically.

* * *

"What was all that about," Troy asked as Sharpay re-joined the adults. 

She shook her head, "Nothing. Larissa just has her first crush," she said with a smile.

Troy looked at his wife, "What?"

"Oh please Troy, it's just a crush," Gabi said, recalling having said something very similar to this to her own husband.

Sharpay nodded, "Yeah nothing to worry about," she said, turning his head so that he was no longer gawking at his 11 year old daughter.

He sighed, "All right…I guess."

"Good boy," Sharpay said as she patted him on the back.

"Ha, ha," he said as he got up.

"Troy," Sharpay said. "Please don't do anything you're going to later regret."

He turned to her, "Don't worry."

Sharpay looked at Jason and Kelsi, "The last time he said that was when he punished Ana for breaking a vase when in reality it was Zach…who actually told him but would Troy listen? Nope. He saw Ana helping to pick up the broken pieces."

"Poor Ana," Kelsi said as she glanced over at Ana who was still outside playing basketball with Zach.

"…And she keeps sneaking into my stuff," Katie vented. "Ugh she irritates me so much and my parents always make the excuse of, 'she's only 5 years old.'" She shook her head.

Theresa nodded, "I know the feeling," she said as she narrowed her eyes on her little sister.

* * *

**That Weekend…**

Troy and Sharpay decided to have a picnic when they found out that Chad and Taylor were coming in for the weekend. Of course, they were bringing their three kids, James, Jennifer, and Kellie with them. (James was 14, Jennifer was 11 and Kellie was 7)

"I still can't believe we haven't seen you since Kellie was three," Sharpay said as she hugged Taylor.

She shook her head, "I know, we've been a little…well busy," Taylor said as she picked up her 7 year old, "Do you remember your Aunt Sharpay," she asked her daughter.

"Uh huh," she said with a small smile. She looked over at Kayleigh, "Mommy look!"

Taylor smiled, "She definitely remembers the girls," she said as she set Kellie down to go play with her friends.

Chad walked over to Sharpay, "Long, long time, no see," he said as he hugged her. "You look great by the way…and congratulations…again!"

She smiled, "Thanks Chad. So how has the coaching been going?"

Ever since he stopped playing professional basketball, Chad had become USC's basketball coach; a job that he loved. "It's going great," he said. "It kind of makes me feel like I'm back in high school again," he said when he saw Jason and Troy walk over.

Taylor, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Gabi decided to let the guys talk while they headed to another area of the park where they could still see their kids.

"I cannot believe how grown up your kids are," Kelsi said as she looked over at James; he was only 10 the last time they had all gotten together.

"Tell me about it," Taylor said, "The last time I saw Madison, she was a toddler! She's so…"

"Five years old?"

"Sure, something like that," Taylor said. She looked over at Gabi, "Liam is absolutely adorable; thanks for sending all of those pictures to us," she said.

Gabi smiled, "Thank you."

"How's the college treating you," Sharpay asked. Taylor was a Chemistry professor at USC.

"Very well thank you," she said. "It's really nice to live so close to the school."

* * *

"He is so cute," Katie said as she looked over at James. 

Jennifer giggled, "That sounds so gross."

Larissa looked at her, "Maybe that's because he's your brother."

She nodded, "I know it is…but it still sounds gross."

Theresa rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, grow up Jen. Doesn't he get about 1,000 phone calls a day from girls," she asked.

"Well…yeah but none of them are girls I know," she said, shuddering.

Katie continued to stare at James. "So cute," she whispered.

Larissa heard this, "So go over there," she said, giving her friend a little push.

"No, I couldn't," she said, backing up.

"Why not," Theresa asked. "You're the one who told me to talk to Jordan for the first time," she pointed out.

Before she could go over there, she saw him walking over to them, "He's coming this way," she squealed, quickly checking to make sure her hair was in place.

Larissa had to turn around so she wouldn't laugh. She composed herself and looked back at Katie, "Do something already."

James walked over to them, "Hi," he said, smiling at Katie.

"H-H-H…" Katie started.

Theresa gave her a little push.

"Hello," she finally managed to get out before she glared at Theresa. "Ow, that hurt," she whispered. She turned back to James and smiled.

"It's uh…been a while," he said, not exactly sure what to say.

"Uh…yeah, it has," Katie said as she twirled her hair. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped. She didn't want to seem like some cheerleader obsessed with one of the basketball stars.

Zach walked over with Ana, "Anyone want to play," he asked, holding up the basketball.

"Yeah, come on," Ana said.

"Not now," Larissa said. "Maybe later, okay?"

Zach nodded, "Okay." Before he and Ana walked back to the basketball court (they were at a park), they saw Kayleigh walk over to them with Kellie, Angie, and Maddy in tow. "Uh oh," he said to himself.

"You did it again," Kayleigh said as she, along with Maddy, Angie and Kellie walked over to Larissa.

"Did what again," Larissa asked, now rather annoyed with her brat of a sister.

"Got your way," she said angrily. Just the other day, Kayleigh had accidentally broken a glass and tried to blame it on Larissa, but when Sharpay saw that Larissa had been in the other room, she knew who was to blame. She turned to her cousin and friends and whispered something to them which in turn caused the three to laugh. "At least I don't have to wear…" She took it out of her pocket, "Diapers," she said, referring to the pad she was holding.

Larissa's face turned bright red, "Give that back," she said, teeth clenched.

"No," Kayleigh said as she placed it back into her pocket. She snickered when she saw her sister's face. She walked over to Jennifer, "Did you know my sister wears diapers?"

"Kayleigh!" Larissa shouted as she grabbed her arm and pulled her back over to her. "Give that back to me!" She yelled.

"Ow!" Kayleigh yelled as she tried to break free of her sister's grasp. "Mommy!"

Zach handed the ball to Ana, "I'm going in. If I don't come back, you can have the basketball," he said.

"Gee, thanks," she said.

He walked over to Larissa and Kayleigh. "You do know that mom will get really, really mad at you if she sees you hurting Kayleigh, right," the rather wise 7 year old asked his sister.

Larissa let go of Kayleigh, "Whatever."

He turned to his twin sister, "Just give it back to her, Kay."

"No, I don't want to," she said.

He grabbed his sister and dragged her away, "Why are you always so mean to Larissa?"

She just frowned and pushed him, "I'm not mean!" She yelled loud enough for the adults to hear.

* * *

**Hehe, I thought that this story needed some kind of mention of Chad and Taylor. Anyway, what did you think? How about Katie? Probably didn't see that one coming. :-) I know, my writing was really bad but that is only because I don't feel well…that's what happens when you work at a preschool…you catch almost everything. **

**Okay anyway, back to the story. Please review and remember I love your suggestions/ideas, so please send any if you have them! Thanks!**

** P.S. - For those of you reading my story "Going Home," I'm not sure when I'll have that updated, seeing as I'm just plain stuck! I've tried using several ideas but none have worked yet...so please if you have any ideas for that, I'm listening! I mean reading! ;-) Thank you.  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for reviewing! I figured you'd all like Katie and James, hehe. And I agree with everyone who said that if he's Chad's son then he's definitely cute!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

_Keeping it Together, Ch. 15_**

_He turned to his twin sister, "Just give it back to her, Kay."_

_"No, I don't want to," she said._

_He grabbed his sister and dragged her away, "Why are you always so mean to Larissa?"_

_She just frowned and pushed him, "I'm not mean!" She yelled loud enough for the adults to hear._

Sharpay looked over at the kids, "Not again," she sighed. She walked over to Larissa, Zach, and Kayleigh, "What is going on over here?"

"Kayleigh took one of my…pads," she said, whispering the last word. "And then she said that…"

Sharpay stopped her and looked over at Kayleigh, "Hand it over. Now."

Kayleigh reluctantly took the pad out of her pocket and gave it to her mom. "I didn't…"

"You are not talking your way out of this one, young lady. You know better than to take your sister's things." She handed the pad to Larissa and took Kayleigh's hand and walked to another area of the park with her.

Larissa and Zach just shrugged and walked back over to everyone else.

Sharpay sat Kayleigh down on a bench and sat down beside her. "What is going on here, Kayleigh? Why are you so determined to make your sister's life miserable," she asked. "Things were fine for a little while there…what happened?"

She shrugged, "Nothing."

"Kayleigh."

Kayleigh turned so she wasn't facing her mom. She wasn't about to let her see the tears that were slowly making their way down her face.

Sharpay turned her around and was rather surprised to see her crying. "What's the matter?"

She shook her head, "Nothing," she said as she started to get up.

Sharpay stopped her, "Not so fast. Come on, what's going on? First you are refusing to listen and being flat out mean and now…you're…rather different," she said as Kayleigh leaned into her mom and cried.

"I'm sorry mommy," she said through her tears.

Sharpay did the only thing she could think of which was to hug her, "Sweetie, what is going on here?"

Kayleigh didn't say anything; she just sat back up and wiped her eyes. "I didn't mean to be mean mommy," she said after a few minutes.

"Okay," Sharpay said, quite confused as to why her daughter was acting so…out of character.

* * *

Katie tried to think of something intelligent to say, but nothing would come out of her mouth. "Um I heard that you made the basketball team," she said. "Congratulations." 

"Thanks," he said with a soft smile. "I uh hear that you like acting now…that's great."

She nodded, "Yeah…"

Theresa shook her head and pulled Katie aside, "Tell him something about your life…you know, maybe go into why you love acting or brag about something."

She looked at Theresa, "I can't brag to him. He's too…cute," she said as she looked at him and batted her eyes.

"Oy," Theresa said to herself. She pulled Katie aside again, "Have you ever had a crush?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

Theresa smiled, "Who was it on?"

"Orlando Bloom," she said with a sigh.

"Katie, focus. You have to be inconspicuous. Act as though you have actually talked to a guy before," she hissed.

"Fine, fine." She turned back to James, "Sorry. I was just talking to uh…uh…"

"Theresa," he finished.

"Yeah, her," she said with a smile. She quickly hid it, however. "Anyway, yes I have been in a few plays now," she said, trying to sound more mature.

He nodded, "That's awesome. So what plays have you done?"

She looked over at Theresa who gave her the 'thumbs up' sign. She turned back to James, "Oh this and that." She felt an elbow in her back. "Ow!"

"What's wrong," he asked not seeing Theresa hit Katie.

"Uh nothing…I had a muscle spasm," she said, rubbing her back while glaring at Theresa.

"Oh…well as long as you're okay…"

She nodded, "I am. So anyway, what position do you play in basketball?"

"Center," he answered.

"Cool."

Knowing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Katie, Theresa walked over to Larissa, "So what happened with your mom?"

"She busted Kayleigh and is now probably yelling at her or something like that," she said.

Jennifer walked over to them, "You know Kellie is exactly like that. She is always trying to take my things."

Ana walked over to them, "Where's Zach?"

"Over there," Larissa said. "He's talking to…Kellie?" Her jaw dropped. Her brother had never liked a girl before.

"Aw that's so cute," Theresa said. "Two 7 year olds actually getting along, how sweet is that?"

"It's adorable," Larissa said flatly.

Theresa looked at her, "Are you jealous because you still haven't talked to your guy?"

"Uh…no," she said, pretending not to care about what she just said.

Jennifer looked at Larissa, "You've got a crush too?"

"N-No," she said, giving Theresa a look.

"It's okay to say you do; if my parents would let me even talk to guys, I'd be dating Sam right now," she said.

"They won't let you even talk to a guy," Theresa asked shocked. "Wow and I thought my dad was strict."

"Ha! My dad walks into my room every evening just to make sure I really am doing my homework and not talking to some guy on the phone. And then he makes sure that if I am on the phone that it's with one of my friends…who is a girl," she said rolling her eyes.

"Dads," Theresa said, shaking her head as she glanced over at her father who was talking to Chad. "I'll bet you anything they're comparing stories about us and how they hate that their little girls are growing up."

"That's silly," Ana said as she walked over to her dad who was also talking to Ryan and Chad.

"…There is no way I am letting her date until she's at least 16," Chad said.

Ryan nodded, "I would have done the same thing, had Gabi not been so persuasive," he said.

Ana just stood there, her mouth open. How did Jennifer and Theresa know what their dads were talking about? She shook her head, "Dad do you want to play," she asked, holding the basketball up.

"In a few minutes honey," he said. "Why don't you go ask your brother?"

"He's talking to Kellie."

"What," Chad said looking over at his daughter.

Troy chuckled, "Relax Chad. This is my son she's talking to. What is the worst that could happen?"

He nodded, "True," he said, still eyeing his daughter.

"Dad please," Ana pleaded.

He sighed, "All right, all right." He smiled at her and looked up, "Looks like I'm going to go lose one-on-one to my daughter," he said as he winked at Ana.

"See why can't Jennifer be like that? Why can't she like sports or something?"

* * *

Sharpay held Kayleigh in her arms. This was not like her daughter, "Honey is there something else bothering you? Are you upset that I'm having another baby?" 

She nodded, "What if you don't love me anymore?"

"That is not going to happen. Did you know that Larissa thought the exact same thing when I was pregnant with you and Zach?"

She looked up at her mom, "She did?"

"Yep; she even tried to get attention…in not such good ways," she said, looking pointedly at Kayleigh.

"Oh," she said, looking at her feet.

"Yeah 'oh.' So you see you and your sister have a lot more in common than you think."

She shrugged, "Maybe." She thought for a moment, "She was really jealous when I was a baby?"

"Mmm-hmm. But don't you start getting any ideas of how to get back at her," she warned.

"I won't mommy," she said. "Can I go play with Ana and daddy?"

"I thought you hated basketball."

"I do but Ana doesn't hate me…"

Sharpay stopped her from getting up, "Okay since when do you think that Larissa hates you?"

She rolled her eyes, "She has always hated me." She looked at the grass.

Sharpay nodded, now getting a sense as to why Kayleigh was acting the way she was. "So you think Larissa hates you."

"I know she hates me," she said as she wiped her eyes.

She shook her head, "Honey she doesn't hate you; sure you two compete against one another a lot, but that doesn't mean she hates you sweetheart. Ana and Zach are always competing against each other but do you see them hating each other?"

"No…"

"Exactly," she said.

She looked at her mom, "So Larissa loves me?"

She nodded, "Of course she does and so do Zach and Ana. And I know you love them too."

Larissa looked around for her mom and saw her sitting on the bench with Kayleigh. She was rather confused when she saw how calm Kayleigh seemed and how close she was to Sharpay. She walked over to them, "Hi," she said to her sister.

Kayleigh looked up, "Hi." She paused, "Do you hate me?"

Larissa just looked at her, "Huh?"

"I think you two need to have a bit of a talk," Sharpay said as she stood up and sat Larissa down where she had been sitting. She walked back to Gabi, Taylor, and Kelsi with a small smile on her face. She had finally gotten to the root of why Kayleigh was acting out.

"So um, what's up," Larissa asked.

Kayleigh looked at her, "Mommy said you were mad when she had me and Zach…were you?"

She nodded slowly, "Sort of, why?"

A small smile appeared on her face, "I'm kind of mad that mommy's having another baby."

"I figured just as much," Larissa said. "Mind if I ask why you've been so…mean?"

She shrugged, "I thought you hated me."

"Well I don't…I might hate what you do sometimes but I don't hate you," she said. "Although when you were first born I was really mad that you and Zach kept getting so much attention. But I don't hate you, Kay."

* * *

Katie and James walked back to the group after having finally had a real conversation. "So maybe we can get together while we're in town," he suggested. 

She nodded, "That would be fun."

"What would be fun," Jason asked, overhearing the last part of the conversation.

* * *

**Hehe, another dad with a love-sick daughter; what will happen with that? And how do you like what I did with Kayleigh and Larissa? And what is going on with Zach and Kellie? Please review! Suggestions/ideas are welcome. Thanks!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for reviewing. Many mixed feelings about that chapter, LOL. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 16**_

_Katie and James walked back to the group after having finally had a real conversation. "So maybe we can get together while we're in town," he suggested. _

_She nodded, "That would be fun."_

"_What would be fun," Jason asked, overhearing the last part of the conversation._

Katie turned around, "Um well we were thinking we could maybe…you know, get together sometime…while James and his family are in town," she said in more of a question form.

Jason thought for a moment. _Well he is the son of one of my best friends and I've known this kid for basically his entire life, _he thought to himself. "Sure, why not."

Katie's jaw dropped, "What? I mean, thanks dad," she said, now smiling.

"Here, can I talk to you for a minute Katie, please?" He asked.

She nodded, "I'll be right back," she said to James.

"Okay," he said, walking over to his dad who was now watching Troy and Ana play basketball.

Jason walked over to one of the benches and motioned for Katie to sit down. She did so.

"Did I do something wrong," she asked as she watched her dad sit down beside her.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong honey. I just want you to know that even if you do decide to see James, you need to remember that…"

She rolled her eyes, "Dad I'm not going to do anything stupid, jeez!"

"Katie," he said in a warning tone.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Anyway what I was going to say was that you need to remember that he lives in California and you…well don't," he pointed out.

She nodded, "I already knew that part; so what about it?"

"Well for one thing you won't be able to see him very often; not unless they come to town that is."

She looked at the ground; she hadn't really thought of that before. "But…there's email and phones now dad. We can call each other and write, right?"

He nodded, "Of course; I just didn't want you to jump into something and then realize that you wouldn't be able to see him as much as you may have wanted to." He had decided that being one of those way too overprotective fathers (like his friends) just wasn't worth it; especially considering the fact that his daughter was 13 years old.

"I know, but when he does come to town, I can see him right," she asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not; I've only know his dad since we were about 10 years old."

She smiled, "Thanks dad!" She hugged him and walked over to where James was.

Jason smiled and walked back over to Kelsi. "She's growing up too fast."

"You just noticed that, huh," she said, kissing him.

Taylor smiled at the two, "They really are cute together," she said. "Back home, he can't seem to find a decent girlfriend; they're all too…I don't know the right word for it," she said, shaking her head.

* * *

After their little chat, Larissa and Kayleigh rejoined the others. "Where did Katie go," Larissa asked.

"Over there," Theresa said, pointing to the basketball court. "So," she said, taking Larissa aside, "What's going on with what's his name," she asked.

"His name is David and not much so far…I tried talking to him, but then the bell rang and we both had to get to class."

She nodded, "Don't worry, you'll get a chance to actually talk…try sitting with him at lunch," she suggested. "I mean you're both sitting down and you should be able to talk to him then."

She shrugged, "Maybe."

"Oh come on, Larissa. Don't be so nervous. If he's a nice guy he'll talk to you too," she said with a smile. "And if he doesn't, he is a jerk."

Larissa nodded, "Okay, I'll try that," she said smiling slightly.

"Good girl," she said.

Zach ran over to his sister, "Where's Ana," he asked nearly out of breath.

"She's over there, why? And why are you so out of breath?"

He pointed to Kellie who was looking around. "She won't leave me alone!"

Larissa and Theresa suppressed their laughter, "But I thought you liked her," Theresa said.

He shook his head, "She won't stop talking! She said something about hating going to her brother's games so if I go play maybe she'll stop following me," he said as he ran over to the basketball court.

"That is so cute," Theresa said.

Larissa nodded, "Yep." She looked over at Zach.

"Please let me play," he pleaded to his father and sister.

"I thought you were talking to her," Ana said, pointing to Kellie.

He shook his head, "I don't want to! She is too annoying and I hate girls! Except for my mom and sisters," he said when he got a look from Ana.

Chad looked over at his daughter, "Excuse me for a minute, will you?" He walked over to his lovesick 7 year old daughter who was walking over to the basketball court. "What's up," he asked.

"He won't talk to me daddy," she pouted.

He shook his head, in a way glad that Zach had not wanted to talk to her. "He may have simply wanted to play basketball. You do know that he loves to play that, right?"

"So what," she said, walking over to Zach.

Zach saw her walking towards him, "Oh no," he groaned. "Dad, do something!"

Troy had to stifle a laugh, "Why don't you try talking to her?"

"I did…she wouldn't stop and I don't like girls!"

Taylor looked over at her daughter and Chad, "Excuse me," she said. She walked over to Chad, "What's going on," she asked him.

"Our daughter is falling in love," he said, gesturing to Zach.

"I don't think so," she said, snatching Kellie away from the basketball court and walking her over to where Sharpay, Gabi, and Kelsi were, Kellie protesting the entire time.

* * *

Gabi walked over to Ryan, "I think we should get going," she said. Michael had to stay at home since he was running a slight fever and Liam would have either been very bored or would have cried every five minutes.

He nodded, "All right, I'll go get the girls," he said walking over to his daughters; of course neither one wanted to leave, but in the end finally conceded.

"We should probably get going too," Sharpay said to Kelsi and Taylor.

Taylor nodded, "We are in town until Monday so maybe we can get together again," she said.

"I hope we can," Sharpay said as she hugged her friend. "It was great seeing you again though." Sharpay walked over to Larissa, "Honey we're going to get going now."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes."

She sighed, "Fine." She said her goodbyes to her cousin and friends and waited for her dad, brother and sister.

After being told they were leaving, Zach quickly gave the ball to his dad and darted over to his sisters, "Thank goodness," he said, once again out of breath.

"You really don't like Kellie do you," Larissa said.

He shook his head, "No. She's a…a girl," he said making a face.

"Hey! I'm a girl too you know," Kayleigh said frowning.

"I didn't mean a girl as in a sister, I meant…a girl," he said as he looked over at Kellie who was trying to walk over to him but was being held back by her mom.

* * *

**Monday…**

Larissa decided to take her cousin's advice and walked into the cafeteria and found the table that David was sitting at. "Hi," she said quietly.

He looked up, "Hi," he said, a small smile on his face.

"Is anyone sitting here," she asked, bracing herself for the answer.

He nodded, "Sure."

She smiled, "Thanks." She sat down with her tray. "So…"

"I heard that you made it into that community theatre play," he said.

"Uh, yeah I did…who told you that," she asked.

He pointed to Theresa, "She did."

Larissa rolled her eyes; her cousin was playing matchmaker already. "Yeah, I did make it," she said with a smile.

He nodded, "That's great. I love theatre."

"You do? I mean, cool," she said, realizing she was starting to sound like a goofy lovesick little girl.

"Yeah I was in a couple of shows back in New York; and we went to Broadway shows all the time."

"I have always wanted to see a Broadway show," she sighed. "Which one was your favorite?"

He thought for a moment, "I'd have to say…well right now it's _Wicked_." ((I LOVE that show! Though I've never seen it, I love the music!))

She smiled, "That's one of my favorites too!"

"What other plays do you like," he asked after taking a bite of his lunch.

"Hmm…I like _The Sound of Music_. I was in that a few years ago, actually," she said proudly.

"Very cool," he said. "I played Captain von Trapp when I was in it in New York. We put it on at my school last year," he said.

She smiled, "That's cool; I played one of the kids but that's because it was at the Albuquerque Community Theatre, not the Children's Community Theatre, which is where the show I'm in now is at," she said in one breath.

"What play is it?"

"_Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_," she said. "I'm playing the Narrator."

He smiled, "I love that one…do you think I could come and watch you in it?"

She was beaming, "Sure."

* * *

Katie sat down with Theresa and Kari, "Hi," she said sadly.

"He left, huh," Theresa said.

She nodded, "This morning. What if he forgets about me and gets some other girlfriend," she asked.

Kari looked at the two, "What are you guys talking about?"

"See our dads are friends with some people that live in California. They were here visiting over the weekend and Katie met…well saw their son, James. He's 14 and a total hottie," she said smiling.

"Okay," Kari said, confused. "Then why are you sad?"

Katie looked up at her, "He will probably forget all about me and go find another girl at his school."

"You don't know that," Theresa said.

She shook her head, "Don't you remember what Jennifer said? She said that he is always bombarded by girls," she said, wiping her eyes.

"Who's Jennifer," Kari asked.

"His younger sister," Theresa said. She turned back to Katie, "Email him after school today. Maybe he'll be home by then."

She shrugged, "Maybe."

* * *

Sharpay was now officially 3 months pregnant and still doing just fine. She and Troy had a doctor's appointment after school that afternoon and had arranged for Troy's father to pick the kids up from school. As she gathered her things, she smiled down at her stomach, "You just keep hanging in there," she said as she rubbed her stomach. She said goodbye to her coworkers and walked out to the car and drove to the doctor's office.

Troy in the meantime, was writing something down when he noticed the clock. "Oops. Jason I've got a doctor's appointment…I mean Sharpay…"

"I know that; go already," he said.

He nodded, "All right, see you later," he said as he got his things and left.

Sharpay waited in the office. Where was Troy? He said he was going to be there. He had never missed a doctor's appointment; at least not when it came to seeing Dr. Jacobs anyway. She was about to call him when he walked into the waiting room.

"Where were you," she asked.

"Traffic," he said annoyance in his voice. He sat down beside her, "So how are you doing?"

"Pretty good I guess."

The nurse walked into the waiting room, "Sharpay Bolton."

"Here we go," Troy said as he took Sharpay's hand and followed the nurse.

Sharpay took a deep breath as she sat on the table, "I hope everything's okay."

He kissed her, "I'm sure it is."

She nodded and smiled, "Yeah."

Dr. Jacobs walked into the room, "Hello there."

Sharpay looked up, "Hi…is my baby okay?"

"Well we're about to check on that," she said a bit confused.

"Sharpay relax," Troy said quietly. "You're going to be fine."

Dr. Jacobs nodded as she listened with her stethoscope, "Well I can tell you this much: the baby definitely has a healthy heartbeat." She got the ultrasound machine ready.

"Did you hear that," Troy asked as he kissed Sharpay's head.

She just smiled and waited for the ultrasound.

"Here we go," Dr. Jacobs said as she put the jelly on Sharpay's stomach and looked around. "There we are," she said.

"Where," Sharpay asked.

"Right here," she said, pointing to the little moving object that was now a little bigger; about the size of Sharpay's fist.

"Is it healthy," Troy asked.

Dr. Jacobs looked at the monitor, "From what I can see, yes; everything seems to be…fine," she said, somewhat shocked. "It's almost as if you never had any problems before; everything is coming along just as it should be," she said as she wrote down the baby's heartbeat and how the baby's organs were coming along.

Sharpay was shocked, "Are you serious?"

"Would I lie about something like this," she asked.

"No, I guess not," Sharpay said with a relieved sigh.

* * *

**Not much of a cliffhanger, I know. I felt like doing a non-cliffhanger chapter, hehe. So what did you think? Please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome! Thanks.**


	17. Chapter 17

**First off, thank you very much for all the reviews. They really mean a lot to me. Second, I wasn't planning on updating this story tonight but I changed my mind since I'm feeling a little bit better now. Anyway, this chapter may still not be up to what I normally write since I'm still not feeling 100 percent.**

**A/N: Just so you're not confused, Katie's IM name is Katertot101 and James's is JDBaskets9. They were the first things that popped into my head, LOL.**

**A/N #2: lol925, there is a section in this that you will especially like; considering the fact that you wanted me to do this. : )**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 17**_

**Same Day; Late Afternoon…**

Larissa walked into her room after coming home from the first rehearsal (which was more of a read-thru) for the play and lied down on her bed. She couldn't help but to smile; ever since her lunch with David that day, she couldn't stop thinking about him and what he had said; he actually wanted to see her in the show! She was beyond excited.

"I take it things went well today," Troy said when he saw Larissa smiling during dinner; she normally ate and then went upstairs to do her homework.

She nodded, "Yeah," she said, still smiling.

"So what's his name," Sharpay asked, nearly causing Larissa to choke on her food.

"Wh-What? What are you talking about?"

"Oh please Larissa I know that look; it's the same one you had when you admitted to me that you had a crush," she said with a smile. She looked over at Troy who had started to tense up. "And don't even think about going ballistic," she said firmly to her husband. She turned back to Larissa, "Well?"

"Larissa's in love," Kayleigh said in a sing-song voice.

She frowned at her sister, "I'm not in love…he's just…a guy," she said casually.

"Uh huh," Sharpay said as she took a bite of her salad. "And his name would be…what?"

Ana made a face, "Ew, why would you like a guy," she asked. She, like Zach was still in a stage where she wasn't exactly ready to like guys (though in Zach's case, he wasn't ready to like girls).

Troy smiled, "Finally, someone is on my side." He received looks from both Sharpay and Larissa.

"Dad," Larissa whined. "I knew you'd be like this," she said, putting her napkin down and walking up to her room.

He shook his head, "What," he asked, still receiving the look from Sharpay.

"I think you know what," she said. "Go up there and talk to her, Troy. Don't be like my brother; that's the last thing she needs," she said, remembering Ryan's reaction to Theresa's first crush.

He sighed, "Sharpay…"

"Go!"

"I'm going," he said not wanting to start an argument in front of their children. He got up and walked up to Larissa's room and knocked on the door. "Larissa, can I come in?"

"Fine," she said angrily.

He walked into her room.

* * *

**Cross Home…**

Katie quickly finished eating and ran upstairs, making sure to close her door. She turned her computer on and went online, hoping that James was also online. She smiled when she saw his screen name pop up.

**Katertot101:** "Hi."

**JDBaskets9:** "Hi; I was just about to IM you." (:smile:)

**Katertot101:** "Really?" She started doing a happy dance, but quickly stopped even though he couldn't see her. "So how was the drive home?"

**JDBaskets9:** "Very boring. Jen and Kellie kept fighting about something that made no sense so dad had to pull over and lecture them." He rolled his eyes. "It was probably the worst drive home ever."

**Katertot101:** "Ooh, sorry about that. That's why I'm glad I only have one sister…even though she is a big pain."

**JDBaskets9: **"So how was your day?"

**Katertot101: **"Same as always: went to school, came home, did homework, and had dinner."

**JDBaskets9: **"Listen I was just wondering if maybe I could…call you sometime. I know I already have your phone number, but I just wanted to make sure it was cool with you first."

She squealed, "Yes!" She then realized that she wasn't typing this.

**Katertot101: **"Sure, of course! Can I call you as well?"

**JDBaskets9: **"I was kind of hoping you would…"

**Katertot101: **"Cool."

"James, time for dinner," Taylor called.

**JDBaskets9: **"Listen my mom just said that dinner's ready so I have to go…so I'll call you sometime?"

**Katertot101: **"Sounds good…and have a nice dinner."

**JDBaskets9: **"With my sisters? Probably won't happen, but thanks anyway. So I'll talk to you later. Bye."

**JDBaskets9 Has Signed Off.**

Katie just sat there, a smile plastered on her face. She then got up and turned on her stereo, "He likes me, he likes me," she sang to herself.

"You look silly," Maddy said from the doorway.

Katie stopped what she was doing and turned off her stereo, "Did I say you could come in?"

"No…but mommy said you have to do the dishes since her and daddy have a pita meeting."

She frowned, "Don't you mean PTA?"

She shrugged, "I don't know."

Katie rolled her eyes, "Fine." She brushed past her sister, "You're not the only one who gets annoyed with your sisters James," she said to herself as she made her way to the kitchen.

* * *

**Evans Home…**

Michael sat in his room. He was beyond bored. So he got into a stupid fight at school…didn't it happen to everyone? He took his baseball and started throwing it up in the air when he heard a knock at the door, "Yeah?"

Ryan walked in, "I heard about what happened," he said as he sat down on his son's bed. "Care to tell me what's going on," he asked.

"No." Michael continued to throw the baseball in the air.

Ryan caught it, "Wrong answer. Michael since when do you of all people get into fights at school?"

Michael sat up, "Can I have my ball back please?"

"After you tell me what's going on," he said casually.

"You'll just say that it's stupid."

He raised an eyebrow, "Try me."

"They kept on making fun of Damien," he said after a moment.

"Damien as in your friend who has Downs Syndrome," he asked.

He nodded, "Yep. Him."

"And who would 'they' be," Ryan questioned his son.

"The idiots," he said. "Dad they called him stupid!"

Ryan nodded, "And you weren't about to let them do that."

He nodded, "Yeah. He's just like everyone else…just different," he said as he shrugged.

Ryan wanted to pat his son on the back and tell him good job for standing up for his friend, but knew that would only reward what had happened. "Well I am proud of you for standing up for Damien, but fighting isn't the answer."

"I know," he said quietly. "It's just not fair; why are they so mean dad?"

He shook his head, "I wish I knew. Sometimes people make fun of others because they're different."

"That's just stupid. I never made fun of Damien before," he said.

"And I commend you for that; you're a good friend…you just had the wrong idea in mind. Next time I suggest you go tell your teacher first."

He nodded, "I will."

Gabi stood by the door, a frown on her face. "Michael I was told that it was you who was hitting Damien," she said sternly as she walked into the room.

"What? Mom why would I do that? He's my friend!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me young man," she said.

Ryan stood up, "Time out, both of you." He turned to Gabi, "Where did you hear that he was hitting Damien?"

"That's what I was told over the phone," she said.

"They were wrong, mom! Josh and Drew were hitting Damien, not me!" He sat back down and faced the other way so his parents couldn't see his face. One thing that made Michael different from his siblings was that he was extra sensitive; he had always stood up for what he believed in.

Ryan looked at Gabi, "I believe what Michael is saying," he said aside to her. "Why would he go hit his friend? You know that he wouldn't do something like that."

"But on the phone they said…"

He sighed, "Do you remember receiving a call from the middle school about Theresa and the fight that she got into? They said that she started it when in fact she didn't."

"This has nothing to do with Theresa, Ryan."

"I know, I know," he said calmly. "I'm just saying that we aren't always given the right information. Just…listen to our son."

She sighed, "Michael if you didn't hit Damien, then why did those other boys hit him?"

He turned around, "Because Damien is different. And Josh and Drew are jerks."

She took a deep breath and sat down next to her son, "Look I'm…I'm sorry for jumping to the conclusion that you were the one who was hitting Damien. I know you would never hurt him…not intentionally anyway," she said, looking pointedly at him.

This caused him to look down at the ground.

"What are you talking about," Ryan asked.

"When the school called and said that Michael hit Damien, they said…" She looked at Michael. "Why don't you tell your father?"

He looked at Ryan, "I sort of accidentally hit him when I went to hit Drew…he tried to stop me…but I didn't listen."

* * *

Troy walked over to Larissa, "Honey I'm…"

"He's just a boy dad! It's not like we're going to get married tomorrow or anything! And he even said…forget it," she said, walking over to her desk.

"He said what," he asked.

She sighed, "He said that he wants to come see me in the musical. Dad he loves theatre just like I do," she said, a smile on her face.

He couldn't help but to smile, "He does, huh?"

"Yeah. He said that he was in a lot of school shows back in New York." She paused, "Dad all we did was talk."

He sighed, "Come here." She walked over to him. "I know you just talked but it's hard for a parent to notice his daughter growing up."

"But did you have to embarrass me downstairs?"

"I'm sorry about that part; I just want you to know that I'm not going to go crazy just because you like a guy…it's just going to take some getting used to, all right?"

She nodded, "Just don't make fun of me anymore."

"I'll do my best." He kissed her head, "So are we okay?"

"I guess."

"Would you like to come back downstairs and finish dinner?"

She nodded, "Yes." She got up and followed him downstairs.

"…So at camp I'm going to be on the basketball team," Ana said as Troy and Larissa rejoined their family.

"That's great honey," Sharpay said. She smiled when she saw both Larissa and Troy sit back down.

* * *

Katie finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher and then ran it. She then walked back up to her room, leaving her door open since she was watching her sister while her parents were out at the PTA meeting and turned her computer back on. She smiled when she saw that she had an email from James. "Oh you're so sweet," she said aloud.

"Who's sweet," Maddy asked.

Katie looked up at her sister. "No one."

"Katie," she whined.

"Just…go play with your dolls or something," she said as she got back to the email.

"But I need help with reaching my book," she said.

Katie rolled her eyes and got up and walked into Maddy's room and reached her book for her, "There."

"I need my coloring book too!"

"Just look at this one," she shot back. She walked back to her room.

Maddy looked up at the coloring book and got her chair. She climbed up on it and reached for the book when she lost her balance and…

THUMP.

Katie looked up from her computer, "Uh oh," she said as she started to get up.

"What was that," Kelsi asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"I don't know," Jason said. They walked upstairs.

"Maddy!" Kelsi exclaimed, rushing to her 5 year old. She looked over at a shocked Katie who was standing in the doorway. "What happened?"

* * *

**Uh oh, someone's in trouble! So what did you think? Please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome. Thanks!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Many thanks to all of the reviews I have received! All right here is the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

* * *

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 18**_

"_What was that," Kelsi asked as she walked into the kitchen._

"_I don't know," Jason said. They walked upstairs._

"_Maddy!" Kelsi exclaimed, rushing to her 5 year old. She looked over at a shocked Katie who was standing in the doorway. "What happened?"_

Katie just stood there, stunned. Her little sister was about to do it…again. She was about to get her into trouble; sure she felt sorry for her that she had fallen, but still! "I'm not sure," she said as she watched Kelsi pick up a crying Maddy and carry her to the bed.

"Where does it hurt honey," Kelsi asked.

"My leg," Maddy cried.

Kelsi examined it, "Well it looks like you're all right; you are just going to get one heck of a bruise. How did you do this?"

Maddy looked from her mother to her father and finally to Katie. She wiped her eyes and looked back at her mom, "It wasn't Katie's fault mommy," she said as she looked at her sister.

Jason sat down on the bed, "Well I didn't think it was," he said. He looked at Katie, "What did happen anyway?"

"Well she said she needed help getting her coloring book down so I got that for her and then she said she wanted another one but I told her to color in this one for a while…I guess she just really wanted the other one," she said quietly.

Kelsi sighed, "Is this true Maddy?"

She nodded, "Uh huh…but Katie was mean, mommy. She didn't want to help…she was too busy with her computer," she said, crossing her arms.

Jason looked at Katie, "Is this true?"

She looked down at the floor, "Some of it is," she said. "But how was I supposed to know she was going to get the other coloring book down? You never let her have both at the same time," she pointed out.

"She's right," Jason said, looking over at Kelsi. He looked up at Katie, "But that doesn't excuse you from putting the computer before your sister," he said sternly.

She nodded, "I know and I'm sorry dad."

He nodded, "All right. Just don't do that in the future; watch your sister a little more closely; she is after all only 5 years old."

"Okay," she said, looking over at her mom. She knew that she was going to add more.

"And you," Jason said to Maddy before Kelsi said anything, "You are never to get up on a chair and reach for something that you know is too high up for you. Understand?"

"Okay daddy," she said.

Kelsi looked up at Katie, "No you're not grounded," she said, seeing her daughter's face. "But like your father said, just know that your sister is only 5 and isn't as independent."

Katie could feel a rush of relief run through her, "Okay." She looked at Maddy, "How's the leg?"

She shrugged, "It hurts."

"I'll go get some ice for that," Kelsi said as she left the room.

"And I have to work on something for work so I'll be in the study if you need me," Jason said to his daughters. He got up and left the room as well.

Maddy looked up at Katie, "It wasn't your fault," she said quietly. She had always looked up to her sister and wasn't about to start acting like a jerk around Katie just because she didn't spend a lot of time with her.

Katie smiled softly, "Thanks for saying so." She walked back to her room, glad that her sister had actually taken her side.

* * *

**Evans Home…**

Ryan nodded, "All right well you have a rather smart friend there; he knows, just like you, that fighting is wrong," he said. How could he become madder at his son for sticking up for a friend? He looked over at Gabi who was fuming. "Gabi before you…" Too late.

"How can you just let him off the hook like that? He not only hit two other boys but he hit his friend as well!"

"He did the wrong thing at the wrong time Gabi," Ryan said as he tried to reason with her. "I know he would never hit Damien intentionally," he said, looking at Michael. "Right?"

Michael nodded, "Yes…mom I'm good friends with Damien. I didn't mean to hit him," he said as tears started to make their way down his face.

"But you still hit him," she pointed out, not listening to the entire story.

Ryan rubbed his eyes, "Gabi may I speak to you alone please?"

"Fine," she said, walking out of the room.

'It's okay,' Ryan mouthed to Michael as he left the room and followed Gabi to their room. "Why are you refusing to listen to him? He's trying to apologize and you keep…I don't know, throwing something else in to make it sound worse than it is."

"He got suspended from school, Ryan. I think that's pretty bad…"

"Yes it's bad, but were you listening to anything that your son said back there? I mean really listening? Because it seems to me that you weren't. You just heard what you wanted to hear," he said, remaining as calm as possible.

She placed her hands on her hips, "I was listening to him, Ryan. I listened to him say that he hit those boys and…"

He nodded, "Exactly. You only listened to the part where he said that he hit two classmates. Did you listen to _why_ he did so?"

She sighed and sat down, "I…" She waved her hand in the air, "No," she admitted.

"Then I suggest we go back into his room and have him tell you exactly why he got into that fight, Gabi," Ryan said as he helped her up.

She nodded, "All right. Ryan?"

"Yes?"

"I just…I'm sorry."

He kissed her head, "I know; now you can go listen to the truth and you _can_ handle it." **(A/N: That was sort of from the movie "A Few Good Men" for those of you who know of it; I love it!)**

"Yeah," she said, walking back into Michael's room. She took a deep breath and sat down on the bed beside him and could see that he was crying again. She took a tissue and handed it to him, "Why don't you tell me exactly why you got into that fight," she said in a normal tone.

* * *

**The Following Week; School…**

Michael had been suspended from school for two days because of the fight he had gotten into. After his mom had actually listened to his side of the story, he was in much less trouble than she had originally planned. He was thankful to have his dad there.

He walked with Damien into the cafeteria, "Want to sit here," he asked.

Damien nodded, "Okay," he said, sitting down at the table. Although he had Down syndrome, he had the mildest form of it and was told he would be able to attend the same schools as children who led normal lives. He was in several special education classes but was still often teased about his looks and ability to learn.

The two sat down and started to eat their lunch when Michael saw trouble coming. "Oh great," he said to himself.

Damien looked over his shoulder and shook his head at Michael, "You will get into trouble again," he said, knowing what his friend was thinking.

Michael shook his head, "I'm not going to do anything," he said. "Well not anything that will cause me to get into trouble," he said as Drew walked over to their table.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Michael and his dumb little friend," he said with a sneer.

"Leave him alone," Michael said. "He never did anything to you."

"And he never will on account of the fact that he's too stupid," Drew said looking directly at Damien.

Michael wanted so badly to just hit Drew. But he knew that if he did, he'd just get into more trouble. "Go away," he said through clenched teeth.

"Make me."

"Mr. Ryan is there a problem here," one of the teachers asked as she approached Michael and Damien's table.

Drew looked over at her, "No."

"Nice try," she said, walking him away from the table.

Michael smiled to himself, glad that he had done the right thing by telling the teacher as he walked into the cafeteria that if Drew were to come over to the table for her to somehow intervene.

* * *

**Two Months Later…**

It had been two months since Larissa found out she had won the lead female role in _Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat_ and tonight was the big night: opening night. She had rehearsals almost everyday after school, thus preventing her from ever getting to hang out with David other than during lunch. But he did say that he was planning on attending the performance that evening and she was beyond thrilled. She had been rather nervous about the show but when he said he was going to come, somehow most of her fears disappeared.

"Larissa are you almost ready," a now 5 month pregnant (and still healthy) Sharpay asked from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes," she called, putting her costume into the costume bag her mom had given her. She walked downstairs, "I'm ready."

Sharpay smiled, "Good, now we can get going…whoa," she said grabbing her stomach.

"Mom are you okay," Larissa asked as she rushed over to her mom.

"Shar, what's wrong," Troy asked as he too hurried over to her.

She shook her head, "Nothing…I think I just felt the baby kick though," she said with a soft smile.

"Cool," Larissa said. "But we have to go mom."

Sharpay laughed, "Yes ma'am." They walked out to the car and drove to the theatre.

As Larissa was about to go to the backstage door, she felt someone stop her. She turned around saw Kayleigh. "Yes?"

"I just…um…wanted to wish you good luck," she said quietly.

Larissa smiled, "Thanks Kayleigh." She hugged her sister and walked backstage.

* * *

**After the Show…**

(A/N: No, I didn't feel like putting any of the show into the chapter, sorry!)

Larissa was now beaming. She had seen not only her family, extended family, and friends, but she also saw David sitting in the audience. She got dressed in her normal clothes and walked out to greet her family. "How'd I do," she asked, walking over to them.

"You were terrific," Troy said as he hugged her. "I'm so proud of you sweetie."

"Thanks dad." She hugged him and turned to her mom and hugged her.

"Great job honey," Sharpay said.

After receiving several 'congratulations' and 'you were great' compliments from everyone, Larissa felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and smiled, "Hi David," she said, suddenly feeling shy.

Sharpay nudged Troy, "That must be him," she whispered.

"I just um…I wanted to tell you that you were great," he said, handing her a bouquet of flowers. "You're a great singer," he said, feeling his cheeks turn red.

"Thank you," she said, not knowing how to reciprocate the gesture.

Theresa, who had been watching all of this walked over to Larissa and 'tripped' thus causing her to 'push' into Larissa who nearly lost her balance but put her arms around David who saved her fall.

"Are you okay," he asked as he helped her from falling.

She nodded, "Yeah," she said. "Thanks for um…catching me," she said as she glared at Theresa.

"You'll thank me someday," she said quietly to her cousin.

Kayleigh walked over to her sister, "Good job," she said, hugging Larissa.

Larissa was now completely taken aback. "Um thanks," she said, looking up at her parents who just smiled.

"So," Troy said as he walked over to Larissa and David, "Is this…"

"Oh mom, dad this is David. David, this is my mom and dad," Larissa said, a smile plastered to her face.

"It's nice to meet you sir," David said as he shook Troy's hand.

"You too," Troy said, surprised that an 11 year old would act so grown up.

Sharpay walked over to him, "Larissa has said nothing but good things about you," she said.

"Mom!"

"Honey it was a compliment."

"It's okay," David said. Two people walked up behind David. "These are my parents," he said to Larissa.

She smiled and slowly shook both of their hands; they seemed to be rather nice.

David walked over to her, "I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to…um…go out for lunch sometime," he asked, crossing his fingers.

Her face lit up, "Yes!" She squealed. "I mean yes," she said in a normal tone.

"Cool." He smiled; glad to have done the one thing he had been so afraid to do ever since he first met Larissa. Little did she know he had liked her even before she talked to him.

* * *

**One Week Later…**

It was the third week of June which meant camp was starting. Zach was very excited about his first day of camp. He had been looking forward to this day ever since March when his parents said he could go to basketball camp. Even though it wasn't an overnight camp, basically all he would be doing all day was playing basketball with some swimming on the side.

"Dad can we go yet," he asked, growing rather impatient.

"Yes, we can go," Troy said as he grabbed his keys. "Shar, I'll be back later," he said as he walked over to the couch where Sharpay was reading a book.

"All right. Have fun honey," she called.

"Thanks mom." He turned to Troy, "Come on dad!"

"I'm coming," he said with a chuckle, recalling him doing the same thing when he was a little boy.

* * *

Katie walked over to her computer and got online to check her email. She smiled when she saw that she had a letter from James. The two had been corresponding ever since the picnic two months ago.

As she read the email, her face fell.

* * *

**Now do you see why I jumped ahead two months? What do you think of Larissa and David? And what was in that email that made Katie so unhappy? I hope you liked this chapter! Please review and suggestions/ideas are welcome. Thanks.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow, thank you for the reviews! I can't believe I am over the 200 mark, LOL. But seriously thank you all for reviewing; it means a lot when people actually take the time to both read and review!**

**A/N: To answer the burning question of what the email contained…wait a minute! You are going to have to read the chapter, LOL. Ha, ha, I'm so evil. ;-)**

**A/N #2: There's a HUGE thunderstorm going on right now (kind of like the one I wrote in RKiHtD) and so I might not update "Going Home" tonight. The hail and thunder and lightening...well there's a lot of it, LOL. Yes I still love it, but there's a heck of a lot of it!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 19**_

_Katie walked over to her computer and got online to check her email. She smiled when she saw that she had a letter from James. The two had been corresponding ever since the picnic two months ago. _

_As she read the email, her face fell._

Katie had to blink a few times just to make sure she was reading this correctly. She wiped her eyes and read again. The email read:

_Dear Katie,_

_As much as this is really going to hurt you, I want you to know now instead of later or worse…through the grapevine. I was at the high school for one of my summer school classes and I ran into one of my friends who I hadn't seen since the 3rd grade. See she moved away that year and we were really close; well we were best friends. Anyway I saw her the other day and she said that she and her family had moved back to town. To make a long story short, we caught up on everything and well…I have feelings for her, Katie. I always did, even when I was 8 years old. I just never thought I'd see her again. I really hope we can still be friends, Katie and I know for a fact that you'll meet someone who is just as sweet as you are; you only deserve the best. Please know that I really do want us to remain friends. _

_Talk to you later,_

_J._

She shook her head and slammed the laptop shut. "I don't want to be friends with you!" She yelled as loud as she could.

Jason, who was in the guest room which was right next to Katie's heard this and walked into her room, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said through her tears. "He's just a jerk that's all!"

He nodded, "I take it 'he' is James," he asked as he sat down on the bed.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "He's back with his old girlfriend…or best friend," she said as she wiped a few more tears away.

He sighed and rubbed her back, "I'm sorry honey."

But she moved away from him, "Just…I want to be alone…please."

"All right, but if you need your mom or me we're both home, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

"Okay." He kissed her head and walked out of the room.

Katie just stared at her bedspread and let the tears flow free. After a few minutes of crying, she picked up the phone.

* * *

Gabi walked into Theresa's room, "You have a phone call," she said.

"I'm busy mom," Theresa said as she finished the art collage. She had recently discovered that she was actually quite talented in art; or at least that is what her teacher had said.

"It's Katie; she sounds kind of upset."

Theresa looked up and walked over to her phone and signaled for her mom to hang up. "Hello…he WHAT?" She wanted to bang the phone over James's head a few times. "No I'm still here, sorry." Her facial expression changed to that of sympathy.

"I just don't get it," Katie cried. "Now he says that he wants to be 'friends'."

"If I were you…which I'm not, I would say the hell with him. You can do so much better, Kate," Theresa said as she walked over to her bed and sat down.

"Maybe…but I really liked him, Theresa!"

She sighed, "What exactly did the email say?"

Katie opened her laptop back up and read her the email.

"That dirt-bag," Theresa said after Katie had finished reading the email. "He gets back together with her before even thinking about you," she said, shaking her head.

"It's my fault."

"Oh no, don't start that," Theresa said. "If anything, it's his loss. He doesn't know just how good he had it…if you know what I mean."

"I do," she said as she took a tissue and wiped her eyes again. "Thanks Theresa."

"Anytime," she said. "If it will make you feel better, want to hang out at the mall tomorrow and spend our parents' money," she said trying to restrain a giggle.

Katie smiled softly, "Sure. Anything to not think about…"

"Don't even say his name," Theresa said.

"Right."

"So I'll call you tomorrow and we'll figure something out, okay," Theresa said.

"Okay, sounds good." For the first time after reading the email, Katie was actually feeling a bit better.

"Listen my mom's signaling me for dinner so I have to go; I'll talk to you later."

Katie nodded, "Okay…and thanks Theresa."

"No problem."

The two hung up. "I'm coming," Theresa said when Angie started to walk into her room; Gabi knew that would pull her out.

* * *

**Bolton Home; Same Time…**

Zach walked into the house behind Troy. He (Zach) was beyond tired. He wanted to go up to his room and collapse.

Sharpay looked over at her exhausted son, "I take it camp went well."

He smiled and nodded, "It was great," he said flatly. "The camp is separated into four teams and each team gets to pick a captain," he said, starting to redevelop his usual demeanor.

Troy smiled from behind Zach, "Why don't you go wash up and when you come back downstairs you can tell them everything else," he said in a proud tone.

He nodded, "Okay dad." He walked upstairs.

"Sounds like he had a pretty good day," Sharpay said as she took the lasagna out of the oven and placed it on the stove to cool.

"From what he told me in the car he had a great day," Troy said.

Sharpay looked around, "Wait a minute where's Ana?"

Ana, after only a little bit of persuading was attending the same camp as Zach. It was Zach who did the persuading to Ana since he knew how much she loved basketball and it was a co-ed camp.

Troy turned around, "Uh oh." He ran out to the car and saw that she had fallen asleep and was still sleeping. He opened the door, "Ana," he said quietly as he gently put his hand on her shoulder.

She opened her eyes, "Huh?"

"We're home; you fell asleep and I…well I thought you were right behind me and…anyway we're home," he said, not wanting to go into a bunch of detail. "Come on honey," he said as he carried her out of the car and into the house. "Here she is," he said, carrying the barely awake 9 year old.

Sharpay looked at her, "Hi sweetie," she said quietly. "Did you have a good day too?"

She nodded, "Yep."

"That's great honey." She kissed her head. "Do you want to eat with us or would you like to rest for a while?"

She lifted her head from Troy's shoulder, "I'll eat," she said as she stretched. She got down from her dad's arms and yawned again as she walked over to the sink and washed her hands.

Larissa walked downstairs shortly after with a still rather tired Zach behind her. Kayleigh was already downstairs watching a movie.

"Honey it's time for dinner," Sharpay said to Kayleigh. "You can finish watching the movie later."

She nodded, "Okay." She turned the TV off and joined her family for dinner.

Larissa looked from Kayleigh, who was 100 percent awake to her parents; also 100 percent awake to Ana and Zach were 80 percent asleep. She used this to her advantage. "Mom, dad I was wondering if I could go have lunch with David on Saturday. Please pass the green beans," she said quickly changing the subject in fear of what the answer would be.

Sharpay looked at Troy, "Well it's all right with me," she said. "Troy?"

He nodded…slowly. "I guess it's okay…just as long as either your mom or myself drives you there and then picks you up."

She nodded, "Yeah that's fine; in fact David said that he wants to go to the restaurant…you know, your restaurant for lunch. He said that his parents wouldn't let him go anywhere else since they both know that you work there on Saturdays during the day."

He smiled, "I like that kid's parents."

"Troy."

He shrugged, "What? They seem very practical. Anyway honey, that sounds good. And don't worry, I promise not to watch you like a hawk."

She gave a relieve smile, "Thanks dad."

"Maybe like an eagle or a smaller bird…"

"Dad!"

"Sorry I was just kidding," he said with a smile.

Sharpay smiled, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks mom," Larissa said.

"Actually I was talking to your dad."

Troy looked at her, "What?"

"You are taking this very well…unlike my goofy brother."

"Oh. Well I figure since we have met this kid and he seems very nice and decent for that matter, what the heck?" He looked over at Larissa. "Just know that Jason is going to be there too; he works on Saturdays as well."

She groaned, "Great."

Sharpay shook her head, "Don't worry about a thing honey." She turned to Kayleigh, "So how was your day? You never really said anything in the car on the way home."

Kayleigh was attending a summer theatre camp. At the end of the summer the camp put a play (typically a musical) on for the parents. The entire camp had to audition for this play but everyone always got a part. **(A/N: I attended one of these camps when I was 10 and 11…it was fun except for the extremely snobby kids and very biased director...grrr)**

"It was good. We don't audition for 2 more days though. So I still have to pick out a song I want to sing," she said.

"That's great honey," Troy said. He turned to Larissa, "So how was your first day of camp?"

"Great," she said. She, like Ana and Zach, was attending the same camp as Kayleigh (this would be Larissa's 3rd summer there). What she had failed to mention, however, was that David was going to the same camp.

"Terrific," Sharpay said. "For once all of our kids are happy…" She looked at Ana and Zach, both of whom were nearly asleep. "…Even though two of them will be like this for the next 8 weeks."

"They're happy though," Troy said.

Kayleigh looked at her sister, "You should tell them," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Tell us what," Troy asked.

"Nothing," Larissa said quickly.

"Larissa."

"Fine," she groaned. "There's another person who is at the same camp," she said as she looked down at her plate.

"It's David," Kayleigh said with a sly smile.

"Kayleigh!"

Sharpay nodded, "So that's why it took you so long to walk over to the car when I picked you two up."

"Mmm-hmm," she said, glaring at her sister.

Kayleigh shrugged, "They would have found out anyway." She took a bite of her food.

"Whatever," Larissa muttered.

"Still you are all happy for once," Troy said, not too bothered by this; after all there were counselors with the kids all day anyway.

* * *

**The Next Day…**

Theresa and Katie were at the mall for what seemed like hours; actually it was hours but neither one was looking at her watch.

"Can we sit down now," Katie said.

Theresa sighed, "We sat down 5 minutes ago." She looked at Katie. "Hey stop beating yourself up over this. Maybe he'll come to his senses and say something like, 'I don't like her half as much as I like you.' You never know."

"Yeah right," Katie said as she placed her chin in her hands.

"You will Katie."

"Yeah…can we go now," she asked, becoming more depressed by the second as she saw several people walk by; most of which were couples.

Theresa sighed, "Sure. I just have to call my mom to pick us up."

"Thanks," she said as she wiped her eyes.

They walked to the payphone where Theresa called her dad (since her mom was out shopping) to pick the two of them up. She turned to Katie, "Okay, my dad's coming."

"Okay." They walked out to the entrance of the mall and sat down on the bench.

* * *

Kelsi walked to the ringing phone, "Hello?" She sighed, "No she's not home right now, may I take a message?"

* * *

**Hmm, who's calling? And I hope you liked all that I put in; I'm trying to incorporate as many people as possible, LOL. Please review! Many thanks!**

**Oh and I forgot to add that when Katie was reading her email, it was a week later which is why on the same day the kids had camp. Sorry if I confused you there!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you for all the reviews! They are truly appreciated. : ) I can't believe this is chapter 20 already!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

**_Keeping it Together, Ch. 20_**

_Kelsi walked to the ringing phone, "Hello?" She sighed, "No she's not home right now, may I take a message?"_

Kelsi jotted the message down. "All right I'll have her call you when she gets home," she said. "Bye now." She hung up and placed the message on the counter where Katie would see it when she got home and then went upstairs to fold the laundry.

Ryan pulled up in front of Katie's house, "Here we are," he said as he glanced back at Katie.

"Thanks for the ride," she said quietly. "I'll see you later Theresa." She got out of the car and took out her house key and walked into the house.

Ryan turned to his daughter, "Is she okay? She barely said a word the whole ride home," he said as he backed out of the driveway and drove down the street.

Theresa shook her head, "Not really." She looked out the window and just hoped that her friend would be all right.

"I'm home," Katie called as she closed the front door behind her.

She walked into the kitchen to place her house key in the drawer when she saw the message that Kelsi had written down. She picked it up and crumpled it up and was about to throw it away when something changed her mind. "Maybe I should call," she said to herself as she walked upstairs. She passed by her parent's bedroom, "I'm home mom," she said, poking her head in the door.

Kelsi looked up, "Hi honey, did you have fun at the mall?"

"Not really…when did he call," she asked, holding up the note.

"About 15 minutes before you came home," she answered.

She nodded, "Okay, thanks mom." She walked into her room, closed the door, and walked to her phone. She picked it up off the hook and contemplated for a moment before doing anything. Do I really want to do this? She thought to herself as she let out a sigh. "Better now than never," she said as she dialed the number. She walked over to her bed as she waited for someone to pick up.

James walked into his room when he heard his phone ring. "Hello?"

Katie didn't say anything for a minute. She was still pretty mad at him for what he did to her…in an email no less.

"Is anyone there," he asked.

She shook her head, "Yeah…hi it's Katie," she said softly as she sat down.

"Hey Katie…I guess you got my message," he said.

"All it said was to call you; so I guess there wasn't really a message," she retorted.

He sat down on his bed, "Yeah…anyway about the email I sent…"

"What about it," she interrupted. "So you got back with your old girlfriend; I never really thought that this long distance relationship thing would work anyway."

"Katie you didn't let me finish."

"What's there to finish," she asked, her voice filling up with anger. "You pretty much finished it in your letter," she said angrily.

"Katie that email…it wasn't supposed to be sent," he said.

She made a face, "What? What do you mean?"

He sighed, "It's like I said; it wasn't supposed to be sent. I wrote it and then thought about how much I really like you…I was going to send it, but then after thinking about it for a while I just…didn't want to. But then I wrote almost the same letter to Sophie…the girl who moved back to town explaining things and wanted to send that one…only I sent the wrong one."

She scoffed, "And I should believe this? What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

"Listen I'm really sorry about what I did; I don't want to break up with you. I hadn't seen Sophie in ages and we thought we could just…well kind of start over but then I saw that she had changed. That's when I wrote her the email. Then I saved it like I did yours and when I came back to my computer, I clicked the wrong message and…well the rest is history." He paused, "I really hope you believe me," he said sincerely.

She shook her head, "Then why didn't you send another email right after you sent the first?"

He now had a confused look on his face. "Didn't you get my other message?"

"No…what other message are you talking about?"

"The other message that explains what I accidentally did," he said.

She walked over to her computer and turned it on. Once it was ready, she went online and opened up her mail. Sure enough there was another letter from James. She sat down, "'Dear Katie, I'm sorry about that other email I sent you. I wrote another email addressed to Sophie that said almost the same thing…I don't want to break up with you, Katie.'" A small smile crept across her face as she read the email aloud. "You really don't want to break up?"

"No I don't." He sighed, "So anyway, I'm sorry again about what happened and I really hope that you can forgive me; I like you Katie…a lot."

"I like you too," she said after a moment of silence. "And I don't want to break up either."

He smiled, "So you forgive me?"

"Yeah I think I can do that."

"Thanks," he said. "Hang on a sec." He walked to the door, "I'll be down soon," he called to his dad. He walked back to the phone, "Katie I have to get going. Can I call you later?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Great. I'll talk to you then…bye."

"Bye," she said. She hung up and sat back down on her bed and smiled for the first time since reading the message he had sent her. She then picked up the phone again and dialed Theresa's number.

* * *

**Saturday…**

After what seemed like an eternity for Larissa, Saturday finally came; her first date with David was today. Even though it was only lunch, it was better than sitting in the cafeteria being surrounded by their peers. She walked downstairs to the living room where Troy was with Sharpay. "I'm ready," she said, a smile on her face.

"Are you sure you still want to go…"

"Dad!"

"I'm joking honey. Let me just find where I put my keys and then we'll go," he said as he walked out of the room.

Sharpay smiled at her daughter, "Well have a good time honey," she said as she kissed the top of her head. "Just not too good of a time," she said half serious, half jokingly.

Larissa rolled her eyes, "Mom!"

"Sorry I couldn't resist."

Troy walked back into the room, "Okay I found them; ready to go?"

She nodded, "Yep. Bye mom."

"Bye honey," Sharpay said.

Troy and Larissa walked out to the car and drove to the restaurant.

Once there, Troy looked over at Larissa before she got out of the car, "Now remember if you need anything just…"

"Come and find you. I know dad. You only told me about 100 times," she said as she got out of the car. She smiled when she saw David sitting outside the restaurant, "Gotta go," she said as she quickened her pace.

David smiled when he saw her approaching, "Hi," he said shyly.

"Hi," she said just as shyly. "So…"

"Oh…sorry." He walked over to the door and opened it, "After you."

"Thanks," she said as she walked inside.

Troy waited until after the two had walked in to enter the restaurant. He did promise Larissa that he wasn't going to 'make a scene' and he wanted to try his best to keep that promise.

After they were seated, David and Larissa sat in silence for a moment, both looking at the menu but also sneaking glances at one another.

Jason looked over at Troy who had just walked over to him. "You know I hate to say this, but those two are cuter together than Theresa and Jordan were."

Troy nodded, "I agree. Let's just hope he doesn't turn into another Jordan," Troy said as he could feel is overprotective side begin to take over.

David decided to finally break the awkward silence, "So I thought your voice sounded great during auditions," he said.

She smiled, "Thanks…so did yours. To be honest though, I did not want to sing 'Maybe.' I had already been in Annie and it just made me feel like I was 5 years old again."

"Well you didn't look like you were 5…you looked…really pretty…kind of like you do now," he said with a small smile.

"Thank you," she said, starting to feel herself turn red. "You did a great job too. The way you sang 'If I Were a Rich Man' was great."

"Thanks; I basically just copied what I did in a variety show my school put on in December right before we moved." He thought for a moment, "Your sister didn't do too badly either. She's got a nice voice…for a 7 year old anyway."

She shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

The waitress walked over to them, "Are you two ready to order," she asked.

They looked at one another and then at the waitress and nodded.

* * *

Ana threw the ball again from the free throw line and watched as the ball sailed into the net.

"You're really…good," Zach said as he watched his sister practice.

"Thanks." She ran to get the ball and threw it again and got the same result. She threw the ball to him, "Your turn."

He nodded, "Watch this." He made a basket from a spot on the court that Ana had never been able to do.

She frowned, "You know I can't make a basket from there."

"Didn't say you had to," he said as he threw the ball back to her.

But Ana was now determined to do so. "I'll get it," she said as she walked over to him. "Watch." She threw the ball which hit the rim, but did not go into the net. "Darn."

He shrugged, "It's not an easy shot."

"I should be able to do it though," she said as she tried again and missed.

"Ana…"

"No! I need to do it," she said, now rather focused on making that one shot. She got the ball and stood back on the same spot and threw it. This time, however, it completely missed the basket all together and landed off to the side. "Ugh! I'm terrible at this," she said as she walked inside and sat down at the kitchen table.

Sharpay, who was making a shopping list walked over to Ana. "Are you okay honey?"

"I'm fine," she said angrily.

"You don't look fine. What's the matter?"

"That." She pointed to Zach who had just made another basket from the one spot Ana couldn't. "I can't throw the stupid ball into the stupid net," she yelled. She wiped her eyes, "I stink at this game!"

"Hey slow down there," Sharpay said. "First of all you don't stink. Second, it just takes practice. I am sure that given some time, you'll be able to make that basket," she said to her daughter.

Ana looked out the window and watched as Zach made a 3-pointer. "Why can't I be good at basketball like him?"

"You are good, Ana. Like I said, it just takes practice; a lot of practice…and patience. You'll do it."

She shook her head, "Yeah right." She walked back outside and sat on the steps.

Zach walked over to her, "Just try holding the ball like this," he said as he showed her a different way to hold the ball. "Then just throw it into the net."

She sighed, "Fine but it won't work." She got up and walked to the spot and held the ball like her brother had suggested and threw it. She watched it sail through the sky and go into the basket. She just stood there stunned.

"See," he said as he went to get the ball. "I told you."

She smiled, "Thanks," she said quietly.

* * *

After lunch, David and Larissa waited outside for David's mother to pick him up. Troy was just going to take Larissa home with him.

"This was fun," Larissa said as they waited.

He nodded, "Your dad has a nice restaurant."

"He'll love hearing that," she said with a small chuckle.

He gave a small chuckle as well, "My dad is a college professor so whenever someone compliments him on his class, we have to hear about it at home so I know how you feel."

"What does he teach," she asked.

"Music Appreciation."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Why else would I be in so many musicals?"

Her face fell, "So you really don't like acting?"

"Oh no, I love it. What I meant was he's the one who got me started in it."

"Oh okay," she said relieved. "I thought for a minute that…"

"That I only do this to please my dad," he finished for her.

She nodded, "Yeah."

"Nah," he said shaking his head. "I do it because it's fun…and I don't have to be at home with my noisy family all the time. Oh there's my mom," he said when he saw his mother's car pull up. "So I'll see you on Monday?"

She nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

"And um…I had fun today," he said with a smile.

"Me too."

He walked to his mom's car, "Bye," he called.

"Bye." She watched as his mom drove away. She waited until he was out of sight to squeal.

* * *

**No cliffhanger here! And I am in need of some ideas for a musical where there are two leads…a male and a female preferably. I have tried to come up with some but I'd like your input as well. So please review! Thanks.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you all so much for the reviews! They are really and truly appreciated. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**A/N: Thank you to brookgavin for the idea for a musical. Yes I have used it before, but it was the only one that really made sense (especially for kids this age) and it's my favorite one in general! So there. :p Hehe, just kidding. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always and I don't own the musical _The Sound of Music._ That would belong to Rogers & Hammerstein…only the two best composers (after Gilbert & Sullivan) ever! At least to me anyway.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 21**_

**Monday; Theatre Camp (A.K.A. Summer Stock)…**

Today was the day that the kids would find out who got what role in the musical they were putting on: _The Sound of Music._ Larissa made sure to get up early and be ready earlier than usual in hopes that Sharpay would take her and Kayleigh to camp a little early, just so she could see what role she got and be done with it.

"I think I am one of the kids," Kayleigh said as she sat down at the table.

"Which one," Larissa asked.

She shrugged, "The littlest one."

"Gretl?"

She nodded, "Yep."

Sharpay smiled, "Well whichever role you get, just know that I am very proud of both of you, not only for not having a competition over who will get what part, but also for actually boosting each other's confidence," she said as she rubbed her abdomen. The baby had kept her up all night with its kicking.

Ana looked at her sister, "What role do you think you got, Larissa?"

She thought for a moment, "Maybe the Mother Abbess," she said. "I don't think I got the part of Maria…I'm not old enough."

Troy gave her a look, "How old are the oldest kids at this camp?"

"12, maybe 13," she said.

"Then you still have a chance," he said.

"Maybe," she said as she took her final bite of breakfast. "Okay mom I'm ready. Can we go now?"

Sharpay looked at Kayleigh, "Why don't we wait until your sister finishes her breakfast and has her shoes on?"

"Okay," she said sitting back down.

"Hey maybe David will play the chief and then you two will get even closer," Zach said in a mocking tone.

Larissa rolled her eyes, "First of all he's a captain, not a chief. Second, we're already…good friends," she said, trying to choose the right words.

"Whatever," Zach said, completely uninterested. His passion was basketball and it was all he thought of day and night. The last thing he ever thought about was theatre. He was considered to be a miniature Troy…at least that was what Troy always said.

After another 10 minutes, Kayleigh was ready to go. "Now we can go Larissa," Sharpay said as she grabbed her keys and purse.

"Finally," she said, getting off the couch she had decided to wait on.

They made their way out to the car and got in. "Mommy do you think I'll get a good part," Kayleigh asked.

Sharpay looked back at her, "Yes honey I do; I think both of you will," she said as she started the car and drove them to camp.

Larissa nearly jumped out of the car as soon as Sharpay stopped it in front of the camp. "Bye mom," she said as she closed the door. She ran into the building where the theatre was. **(I'm kind of basing this on where I went to theatre camp … also called Summer on Stage)**

Kayleigh was slower to get out of the car. She looked at her mom, "Do you promise I'll get a part?"

"Honey everyone in the camp gets a part no matter what," Sharpay said giving her a reassuring smile. "You'll do great."

She nodded, "Okay." She slowly got out of the car and walked into the theatre.

* * *

Katie got out of bed and walked to her computer which she had accidentally left on the night before; she and James had been IMing each other for a while and she was too tired to click 'shutdown.' She smiled when she saw that she had an email from James. She quickly opened it and read it and smiled, "You're really sweet too," she said.

"Who is," Maddy asked from the door.

"What are you doing in here," Katie asked in an annoyed tone.

"I need help reaching my stuffed animal."

She rolled her eyes, "Can't mom or dad help you with that?"

She shook her head, "Nope; they are outside."

Katie sighed, "Fine I'll help you." She got up and walked with Maddy to her room and got the stuffed animal down. "There. Now I am going back to my room."

"Thank you Katie," Maddy said.

"You're welcome." She walked back into her room and left the door open…just in case Maddy decided to do something such as climb up on a chair. She turned back to her email and wrote back to James, the smile returning to her face as she did so.

* * *

Angie walked into the kitchen and sat down, "Mommy look what Liam did to me," she said with a frown.

Gabi looked at Angie and saw nothing. "What are you talking about honey?"

"He hit me."

"Honey he's 2 years old; if he hit you I highly doubt it would have left a mark."

Angie crossed her arms, "Fine!"

"We do not yell in this house Angela," she said firmly.

Angie simply sat down at the table and ate her breakfast that was waiting for her.

Gabi walked upstairs and into Liam's room, only to see the little boy crying. "What's the matter sweetie," she asked as she picked him up.

"Angie hitted!"

Gabi sighed, "Where?"

He pointed to his arm, "She hurted me mommy!"

Gabi looked at Liam's arm and sure enough there was a red mark that was quickly turning black and blue. "Great," she mumbled as she walked downstairs with him in her arms. "Angela why did you hit your brother," she asked walking over to her daughter.

"He is annoying."

"That is no reason to hit him," she said with a frown. "He's only 2 years old and you are almost 6. You know better."

"He broked my toy," she whined, showing her mom the plastic piece of dollhouse furniture that was now in two.

"It's broke and I'm sure he didn't mean to." When she saw that she was getting absolutely nowhere with this, she changed the subject. "You had better finish up; camp starts soon."

Angie's frown turned into a smile, "I am going on a field trip today!"

Gabi nodded, "I know; you said that you're going to the water park," she said.

"Yep! I want to go on the all of the slides," she said smiling.

"Just so long as your counselor is near you, I'm sure that you will be able to," she said as she got her things together. "Are you almost ready?"

"I need my lunch mommy…and my bathing suit…and towel!"

She picked up her backpack, "Everything is already in here, remember? You packed it yourself last night. Now come on, I don't want you to be late."

She nodded and followed her mom out the door.

* * *

Troy pulled up to the camp, "Okay you two have fun," he said to Ana and Zach.

"Okay," Ana said as she got out of the car. "Bye dad."

"Bye dad," Zach said.

He waved, "Bye guys…be good."

Zach looked at his sister, "Why does he always say that?"

"Maybe because he thinks we'll be mean like Larissa and Kayleigh," she said with a shrug. "Who cares…besides we get to play our first game today," she said with excitement.

He nodded, "I'm going to make every shot," he said as the two headed to their group. They had both been placed in Group A which was one of four different groups in camp. They were playing against Group B today.

"Me too," Ana said as they reached their destination.

Craig, one of the other kids in the group saw the two. "You had better not lose for us," he said with a sneer to Ana.

"Go away," Zach said. "She's a better player than you anyway."

"Aw look Ana, your wittle brother is sticking up for you, isn't that cute."

She walked up to him, "Shut up and quit being a jerk."

Craig, who was 8 years old, ran to the counselor. The counselor soon returned with Craig by his side, "What's this I hear about you calling Craig a jerk," he asked Ana.

"He was being mean to Zach and me," she said quietly.

Zach nodded, "He said that Ana would probably lose for us."

"That's still no excuse for calling someone a jerk, Ana," Steve the counselor said.

She nodded, "Sorry," she said softly before running to another table.

"Baby," Craig mumbled.

"She's not a baby!" Zach yelled.

"All right that's it calm down both of you," Steve said. "If I don't see an attitude change from either of you, then neither one of you is playing today…and that includes you Ana," he said loud enough for Ana to hear. He walked back to what he was doing.

Zach frowned at Craig and then walked over to Ana, "Are you okay?"

"He's so mean," she said, wiping her eyes. "Why is he so mean?"

He shrugged, "I don't know but you're still a really good player Ana."

She gave him a small smile, "Thanks."

Craig watched this; he knew that Ana was a better player than he was and wasn't about to let a girl make more baskets than him. He walked over to Ana and Zach, "You really are a baby…a crybaby," he said with a snicker.

"Leave me alone!" Ana yelled.

Steve put his pencil down and walked over to the three, "That's it. Ana you're out of the game today."

She looked up at him, "But I didn't do anything," she said, fresh tears starting to fall down her face.

"I seem to remember saying that you needed to change your attitude and you still haven't. Therefore you are not playing in today's game," he said.

Ana waited until both Craig and Steve walked away to place her head on the table, "I want to go home," she cried.

Zach, now very angry at Craig (and Steve for that matter), marched on over to Steve, "The only reason she yelled was because Craig called Ana a crybaby," he said, defending his sister.

* * *

Larissa walked into the building and saw David. She hurried over to him, "Hi!

He smiled, "Hi…did you just get here?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Did they post the list yet?"

"Yeah, it's in there," he said pointing to the theatre. "But I got one for your already," he said, handing her one.

She smiled, "Thanks." She looked at the list and frowned, "I don't see my name anywhere."

David stifled a laugh, "Move your finger," he said, moving the paper down. "There you are."

Larissa beamed, "I'm…Maria?"

"Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah! And you're…the Captain," she said quietly. She looked up at him and smiled.

Kayleigh hurried in behind Larissa, "Did I get a part," she asked.

Larissa looked at the list, "Yep, you are playing…Marta," she said with a smile. "That's who I played when I was in this play a few years ago."

Kayleigh smiled; glad to know she had gotten a part. "Does that person have any lines?"

"Yes; she sings and is on stage for a lot of the play…and she's 7 just like you," Larissa said.

"Cool," Kayleigh said as she walked over to another girl.

David looked at Larissa, "You do know that in this play the two leads fall in love, right?"

She nodded, "Yes," she said softly.

* * *

**Okay I decided to leave several unanswered questions here, LOL. Hey be glad I told you is playing who in the play! Hehe. Anyway, what is going to happen with Ana at camp? How will Angie's field trip to the water park go? And of course the burning question, what is Larissa's actual reaction to David telling her what happens? Read more to find out! And please review, it means so much! Thanks.**

**P.S. – lol925, I hope you liked the part with Angie! I put that in per your request!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you for reviewing…although I must admit I didn't think anyone did at first because I had nothing in my inbox! Then I checked the site and there they were…I'm not sure about you all, but I haven't been receiving any notifications since last night. Is this happening to anyone else? Okay anyway, on with chapter 22.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who suggested musicals…and writer11bee, I just want you to know that I didn't choose the musical you suggested only because I don't know it very well. But don't worry…I'm going to still put drama in!**

**A/N #2: This chapter is pretty much only the Bolton kids, just to let you know. Don't worry; I'll add more of the other families in the next chapter! I promise.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 22**_

Ana watched from the table she was at as her brother spoke to Steve. She just wanted to get out of there and go home.

"She was only yelling at Craig because he called her a crybaby," Zach said.

Steve looked over at Craig, "Is this true?"

Craig just looked at the ground, "Yes," he said quietly.

"I see," Steve said. He walked over to Ana, "Do you still want to play," he asked as he sat down.

She looked up at him, "Yes."

He nodded, "Okay; you're back in." He walked over to Craig and took him aside to talk to him.

Zach walked over to his sister, "See? You're back!"

She gave him a small smile, "Thanks."

He grabbed a basketball, "Want to practice a little before we all practice together?"

Ana nodded, "Okay." She got up and followed Zach to one of the courts.

* * *

Larissa wasn't exactly sure how to feel about having to fall in love on stage and then…kiss. She gave David a small smile and walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.

David walked over to her, "What's wrong?"

She shrugged, "I don't know; it's just…going to be weird to fall in love on stage and stuff," she said quietly. "I've never been in a role where I would do that."

"Well at least we know each other," he said as he sat down. "To be honest it's kind of weird for me too."

She looked at him with a frown, "It is?"

"I mean that in a good way," he said quickly. "I've never been in a play where I liked the girl playing the lead…in a way that was more than just getting along if you know what I mean," he said as he looked over at her.

Larissa nodded, "Yeah…" She then saw another girl walk over to the two.

"Hi David," she said in a flirty voice.

"Hi Melissa," he said quietly.

She smiled and sat down on the other side of him, "So I'm playing the Baroness," she said. "It looks like we get to have some scenes together."

He nodded, "Yeah we do."

"So I had fun on Sunday," she said, making sure to add a little flirtatious giggle.

Larissa had heard enough. She stood up and walked away.

David turned to Melissa, "Why did you say that? All we did on Sunday was see each other in the same restaurant," he said rather annoyed.

"David please. You don't really like that girl do you? I mean I saw the way you looked at me," she said taking his hand.

"Would you just get away from me?" He got up and walked over to Larissa who had seen everything that had just happened. "Larissa…"

"Don't," she said as tears started to fall down her face. "I already heard all of it!" She ran down the steps that she had been sitting on and into the girls' restroom and cried.

"Larissa please let me explain," he pleaded. The last thing he wanted to do was to lose the girl that seemed to be his perfect match; not to mention the fact that he really, really liked her.

She wiped her eyes and opened the door, "I don't want to hear anything of what you have to say! Just leave me alone," she said as she felt fresh tears start to roll down her face. She shoved past him and walked into the theatre.

* * *

It was finally time for the game that Group A was playing against Group B. ((BTW if anyone has any suggestions for actual team names, please let me know, LOL))

Ana practiced her free throw shots and lay-ups while Zach mainly practiced throwing the ball from that one spot he was rather good at throwing from.

"Okay everyone," the assistant director of the camp (who was also acting as referee for the game) said as he gathered everyone up. "I want to see a clean game from everyone." He looked at all of the players on both teams. "Got it?" Everyone nodded.

Steve walked over to Zach, "Okay do you remember the play we talked about?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"All right; we're going to use that one." He motioned for Zach to get on the court.

Ana looked at Steve, "I thought I was starting too."

"You'll go in the game in a bit, okay?"

She nodded and sat back down on the bench and cheered her brother on.

By the time the 3rd quarter rolled around, Ana had yet to do anything. Steve had put everyone except her into the game.

Zach sat down next to her, "When do you go in?"

She shrugged, "I don't know…maybe he's saving me for the last quarter or something."

He nodded, "Yeah…you are like the secret weapon," he said with a smile.

"Maybe."

Steve looked at the kids on the bench. They consisted of Ana, Zach, and Craig. He looked at each one, "Craig go in and guard Bailey," he said motioning for Craig to get in the game. Craig did as he was told. "All right…Zach I want you guarding number 12; Jameson. Got it?"

"Okay," he said. He stood up and looked at Ana, "I'm sure you'll go in next."

She just shrugged and looked at her feet, knowing that she wasn't going to go in at all for this game.

After the final quarter, the score was 26-22 in favor of Group A. Zach ended up making the final basket right at the end of the game, even though they were already slightly ahead.

After giving his teammates high fives, he walked over to Ana who looked as though she was about to cry. "That wasn't fair," he said.

She shook her head, "Why didn't he put me in? I'm just as good as them," she said, gesturing to the other players on their team.

"Don't know…maybe you can talk to dad and he can talk to Steve," he suggested.

* * *

Kayleigh watched as Larissa sat down. She walked over to her sister, "They said that they're going to do a read-thru today."

"Great," she said flatly.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Larissa said looking in the opposite direction.

"Okay." Kayleigh got up and walked back over to one of her friends.

Larissa just stared straight ahead.

"All right everyone we are going to run through the show now," Ms. Benson the director said to everyone. "Please be seated." She waited until everyone was in their seats. "I'm going to start at the section where Maria meets the Captain for the first time," she said. "So I will need Larissa and David to please come up here."

Larissa reluctantly walked up onto the stage. When she saw David walk on stage, she put the script in front of her face so she wouldn't have to really look at him. He was the first boy she liked and what did he do? He went off and decided she wasn't good enough for him…or at least that's what she thought.

"Larissa we need to talk," David whispered.

"Mr. Fine that is enough chatter; we need to move right along here," Ms. Benson said.

"Sorry," he said softly.

"Begin when you're ready Larissa," she said.

Larissa took a deep breath and said her lines, not once looking up at David.

David read his lines as well, unable to take his eyes off of Larissa.

Once they were done, David stopped Larissa from going to her seat, "Please Larissa, I need to talk to you."

"No."

"But…"

"I said no," she said as she hurried past him and walked to her seat and sat down. She wasn't about to let him see just how hurt she was.

David slowly walked up to his seat and sat down, making sure to glare at Melissa who was smiling at him. This was all her fault; had she not flirted with him, none of this would have happened.

* * *

Ana and Zach waited by the gate for Troy to come get them. Zach had a smile on his face while Ana just sad there trying not to cry. She didn't want to tell her dad that she had a horrible day; after all she was the one who told him how much she wanted to go to this camp to play basketball.

Troy pulled up in front of the gate and waited for the two to get into the car. "So how was the game," he asked as he started driving again.

"I scored 6 points dad," Zach said proudly.

"That's great," Troy said proudly. Even though 6 points wasn't a lot, it was to a 7 year old who loved the sport. "How did you do Ana," he asked.

"Fine," she said flatly.

Zach nudged her, wanting her to tell Troy what really happened.

"Honey is everything all right," he asked as he glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

"Yes, everything is fine," she said as she stared out the window.

"It's not fine!" Zach yelled, causing Troy to nearly lose control of the car.

He pulled off to the side of the road and looked back at his son, "What do you mean?"

Zach looked at Ana one more time and saw that she wasn't about to tell their dad what had happened. He took a deep breath, "Steve our counselor is a jerk and didn't let Ana play," he said.

Ana looked at her brother, "Shut up!"

"Ana," Troy said firmly.

She looked at her dad, "It's none of his business!"

"You wouldn't tell dad," Zach shot back.

Troy sighed and shut off the car and gestured for the kids to get out so he could see them. He knew this was going to take a while. "Tell me what?"

"I didn't get to play," Ana mumbled.

"Ana you need to speak clearly; what did you say?"

She looked up, "I said I didn't get to play." She could feel fresh tears roll down her face again.

"Why not?"

"Our counselor is a jerk," Zach said. "He took Craig's side."

Troy was now thoroughly confused, "All right I didn't catch a word of what you just said. Why is your counselor a jerk and who is Craig?"

"Craig's in our group," Zach said. "He was mean to Ana and Steve took his side."

Troy looked at Ana, "Is this true, Ana?"

She nodded, "Yes," she said tearfully. "Craig called me names and said I was a bad player and I yelled for him to stop and Steve didn't care what Craig said; he only cared about me yelling," she said, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.

"Come here," Troy said. He wrapped his arms around Ana. "What happened after that," he asked gently.

"Zach told Steve why I yelled and Steve said I could play…but he never put me in the game daddy," she sobbed.

Troy smiled softly at Zach, glad that to see just how close his son and daughter were. He turned to Ana, "So Steve didn't put you in the game because of what happened, am I correct?"

Zach nodded, "Yes…he's a jerk dad."

"Zachary."

"Sorry."

"All right how about this: tomorrow when I drop you two off I'll have a little chat with your counselor. Will that help?"

Ana nodded, "I didn't do anything wrong though daddy!"

"I know honey; I meant I want to talk to him about why he didn't put you in the game; you're one of the two best players on the team." The other best player, in Troy's mind was Zach.

"Okay," she said softly.

Troy kissed her head, "Okay. Would you guys like to go home now? I know that your mom went to the store today and she just happened to buy your favorite ice cream."

Zach smiled, "Okay."

Ana nodded, "Okay daddy."

Troy helped the two get back into the car. Once they were in, he walked around and got into the driver's seat. He looked back at the two and couldn't help but to smile; they really were close. He started the car and drove home.

* * *

Larissa walked outside to where Kayleigh was sitting waiting for Sharpay to pick them up.

Kayleigh turned to her sister, "Why are you sad?"

"Doesn't matter," Larissa said.

David ran into the theatre and looked for Larissa. She wasn't there. He walked into every room she could possibly be in and still didn't see her. "Where is she," he thought aloud to himself. He then remembered that her mom picked her up from camp everyday. He hurried downstairs and out the door where he saw Larissa and Kayleigh waiting for their mom. "Larissa!"

She turned around and shook her head, "Go away," she said, turning back around.

"I need to talk to you though." He took her hand and gently guided her to the other bench and sat her down.

"What do you want," she asked coolly.

"I want to explain what happened earlier," he said as he sat down next to her.

"Fine but if my mom comes I'm leaving."

He nodded, knowing he'd have to talk fast. "Okay so here's the story: Melissa and I saw each other at a restaurant on Sunday. We were both there with our families and that's what she meant; only she didn't want to mean it that way…she wanted to make it seem like she's all that," he said in one breath.

Larissa turned to face him, "That was…fast." She sighed, "So what did you say?"

"I said that I already have a girl in my life and that it isn't her."

She smiled softly, "Really?"

"Yes, really; do you honestly think I'd date her? She's so stuck up," he said as he watched her walk out to her mom's car.

She shook her head, "No, I don't."

"Cool." He took a deep breath, "Larissa I need to ask you a question."

* * *

**Hmm what is this question David wants to ask Larissa? I hope you liked this chapter; I tried to put in as much drama as possible…I don't know why, I'm just in a dramatic mood, LOL. Anyway please tell me what you thought! Thanks.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Wow, thank you so much for the reviews! I never expected this many for one chapter. All right I shall now answer (in the chapter that is) the question that David has asked Larissa…**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 23**_

"_Cool." He took a deep breath, "Larissa I need to ask you a question."_

She turned so she was now looking at him, "Okay what is it?"

He took another deep breath and looked at the ground before looking back up at Larissa. "I was wondering if um…if you'd like to be my…girlfriend."

Larissa just sat there, not knowing what to say. "I uh…"

"Larissa mommy's here," Kayleigh called.

She looked up to see her mom's car pulling up. She then looked back at David, "Yes." She stood up and started to walk to Sharpay's car but David stopped her.

"Thank you," he said with a smile. He hesitated for a moment and then hugged her.

Larissa smiled and hugged him back, "You're really sweet," she said as she slowly let go of his hand and began to walk towards her mom's car.

"Want to go to see a movie on Saturday," he called.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'd love to!" She smiled and hurried to her mom's car and got in, beaming all the way.

Sharpay looked at her daughter, "I take it you had a good day."

"You could say that," Larissa said, still beaming. She looked out the window and saw David climb into his mom's car.

"That's great honey. So what parts did you girls get," she asked as she began to pull out of the parking lot.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend," Larissa said.

Sharpay nearly lost control of the car. She looked over at Larissa, "He did?" Her face was a combination of happiness and 'oh my goodness my little girl is growing up.'

She nodded, "Yeah…and please don't say that you don't approve," she pleaded.

Sharpay smiled and began driving again, "Of course I approve honey that just sort of took me by surprise. Congratulations." She smiled at Larissa.

"Thanks! Oh and I got Maria and David's playing the Captain!"

"That wonderful," Sharpay said. "I'm so proud of you sweetie."

Kayleigh frowned, "What about me, mommy?"

She smiled, "What part did you get honey?"

"I'm Marta!"

"Like I just said to your sister, I'm so proud of you."

Kayleigh smiled, "And that means that Larissa is going to be my nanny in the show and then my mom!"

Larissa twitched, forgetting about that tiny, miniscule detail. "Oh yeah," she said quietly.

"What's wrong," Sharpay asked.

She shook her head, "Nothing…it's just going to be weird…I'm only 4 years older than Kayleigh and I'm going to be her…mom."

Sharpay chuckled, "Well that's theatre for you. Just so long as you're happy, I'm sure you both will have a great time."

Kayleigh nodded her head in agreement, "I'm happy mommy."

"And I'm happy for you," Sharpay said as she glanced at the rearview mirror.

* * *

Once Troy got home with Ana and Zach, he walked into the kitchen and took out the ice cream like he had promised them. He took out two bowls and put two scoops into the bowls. He then brought the ice cream over to the kids and sat down with them. "Here we go," he said as he handed them the ice cream.

"Thanks dad," Zach said as he took a bite.

"You're welcome." He looked over at Ana who was just staring at her bowl. "Don't you want your ice cream Ana," Troy asked.

"He'll get mad at me," she said tearfully.

Zach looked up, confused. "Steve will get mad at you for eating ice cream?"

She looked at him, "No!" She yelled.

Troy sighed, "Come here Ana," he said gently as he took her hand. He looked back at Zach, "Don't even think about taking it."

Zach rolled his eyes and turned back to the ice cream.

Troy walked Ana into the family room, "Why do you think Steve will get mad at you honey?"

"He hates me and he'll think I'm a tattle-tale."

He shook his head, "No he won't. I will make sure to tell him that I wanted to talk to him."

"He'll probably say it after you leave," she said as more tears started to roll down her cheeks.

Troy grabbed a tissue and handed it to Ana. "Well if he does then I suggest you go straight to the director of the camp and tell her what Steve said then."

"But I'm scared to."

"I'll go with you," Zach said. He had an ice cream mustache, thus causing Ana to chuckle softly.

"Here buddy, you're too young to grow one of those," Troy said as he handed Zach a tissue as well. He turned back to Ana, "See? You'll have your brother there to support you."

"Okay," she said softly as she wiped her eyes and sniffled.

"That's my girl." He kissed her head, "Now would you like to go eat your ice cream before it melts?"

She nodded and walked back into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

* * *

Ryan found a parking spot at Angie's camp and took Liam out of the car. "Should we go find your sister?"

"Yes," he said.

"Okay then." He smiled and carried Liam over to where the buses would be for bringing the kids back from the water park.

A few moments later one of the buses pulled up and several children got out, Angie included. She saw her dad and ran over to him, "Daddy I had the bestest time!"

Ryan smiled at his daughter whose hair was still soaking wet, as was her camp shirt. "Well I am very glad to hear that," he said as he kissed her head. "What did you do?"

"I got to go down waterslides and go in the pool," she exclaimed.

Ryan smiled; he knew how much Angie loved swimming. "What else did you get to do," he asked as he helped her with her backpack and started walking to the car.

"I ate lunch there too! We got to eat on our towels," she said. "Like a picnic."

"Well that sounds like fun. Too bad I couldn't join you," he said as they got to the car. He placed Liam in his car seat and then helped Angie with her seatbelt.

Angie giggled, "You are too big for camp daddy!"

"I am," he said, pretending to be sad.

Angie nodded, "Yes," she said, smiling at her dad's face.

"Oh well," he said as he got into the car.

"I hurt my toe when I was running though," she said as she showed him her toe which now had a band-aid on it.

"Uh huh…were you supposed to be running," he asked with raised eyebrows.

She shook her head, "No…"

"Listen to your counselors next time please," he said. "That way you won't get hurt, all right?"

She nodded, "Okay daddy." She turned to Liam, "Sorry for hitting you," she said quietly yet loud enough for Ryan to hear.

He shook his head and started the car and began to drive home, not wanting to get angry at her for hitting…again. He glanced at her, "Why did you hit your brother?"

"He broked one of my toys," she said. "But I'm not mad anymore."

"Well I'm glad to hear that, but you are supposed to use your words, not hands."

She nodded, "Okay." She turned to Liam again and kissed his arm. "All better?"

He smiled, "Yep!"

* * *

Katie finished reading her email and squealed. "Yes!" She shouted.

Kelsi hurried up to her room, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing mom. James and his family are coming here for the 4th of July," she said happily.

"Well that's great," she said. "I'm surprised Taylor hasn't called to say that…" She was interrupted by the phone. "Scratch that," she said as she walked out of the room to answer the phone.

Katie shrugged and got back to the email and decided to reply to it. _Maybe we can see the fireworks together_, she wrote. _We go to the same place every year and maybe we can sit together…without our parents looking over our shoulders every second. _She sighed as she wrote this; she only hoped that her parents would let her sit with James. Her dad was already fine with her seeing him as was Kelsi, but they had never watched fireworks together. She got back to the email, "I'll talk to you soon," she said as she wrote. "Hugs, Katie." She clicked the "send" button.

* * *

"But I need to use the computer," Jennifer whined as she followed her brother up to his room.

He turned to her, "Then use the one downstairs, Jen. This is my computer anyway."

"Kellie's playing a game on that one though!"

James rolled his eyes, "Then you're just going to have to wait."

"Ugh!" She marched out of the room and into her parent's room. "Mom!"

Taylor turned around and shushed her, as she was on the phone. "Yeah we are driving in on the 1st," she said. "Well we are hoping to stay until Wednesday…okay…yeah I'll talk to you later, Kelsi. Jennifer is flagging me down here," she said as Jennifer tapped her fingers on the headboard of the bed. "All right, we'll see you all then. Bye." She hung up and looked at Jennifer, "Yes?"

"James is hogging the computer mom," she whined.

Taylor shook her head, "Jen how many times do I have to tell you that the computer in your brother's room is your brother's? Use the one downstairs," she said walking into the closet to get the dry cleaning.

"But Kellie's using that one!"

"What did I tell you about whining and pouting, Jennifer Anne?"

"But mo-om!"

"Don't 'but mo-om' me," she said, mimicking her daughter's use of the word 'mom.' She walked downstairs and saw that Kellie was getting up. "There, Kellie's done with the computer; you may now use it," she said.

"But James's is better."

Taylor wanted to just bang her head against the wall. Jennifer had always been the stubborn one in the family. "We're not getting into this," she said as she walked back upstairs and into James's room, Jennifer following her closely. "I'm going to the dry cleaner's. Your dad should be home in about half an hour so I need you to watch your sisters."

He looked up, "Okay."

"Thank you," she said as she backed up…right into Jennifer. "Jennifer don't do that," she said. "I'll be back soon," she said in a normal tone.

"Bye." Jennifer watched as her mom walked down the stairs. She then walked into her brother's room quietly enough so that he didn't hear her come in. She looked at what he was writing. "'I can't wait to see you either and I also hope we can…'"

James turned to her, "Stop reading my mail!"

"Somebody's in love," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Get…out…now."

"But I need to use the computer!"

"You can wait," he said, now rather angry that his sister had been reading over his shoulder. He escorted her out of his room.

"I'm telling dad," she yelled when she heard the garage door open and close.

"Fine!" He yelled back.

Kellie walked over to him, "Why are you mad?"

"No reason really," he said as he ruffled his little sister's hair. Kellie had yet to develop the pre-teen attitude and was still in a 'nice' phase.

* * *

Sharpay walked into the house with Kayleigh and Larissa. "We're home," she said.

"Hey there," Troy said as he kissed her tenderly. There was a chorus of 'eww's' from three of their children. Troy looked at them, "Oh grow up," he said jokingly. He then looked at Larissa who was still beaming, "I am guessing you got a pretty good role in the play," he said.

She nodded, "I'm playing Maria," she said distantly.

Kayleigh walked over to Troy, "And I'm Marta!"

"Congratulations to both of you," he said. He looked over at Larissa, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," she said with a sigh.

"David asked her to be his girlfriend and she said yes," Kayleigh blurted out.

Troy looked at Larissa, "What?"

* * *

**Haha…so do you think Troy is just surprised or is the overprotective dad coming out again? I hope you like that I added some of James's family there. Please review! Thanks.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you to all who reviewed! It means a lot to me. **

**Also, happy 4th of July to everyone! I hope you all have a GREAT holiday!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 24**_

"_David asked her to be his girlfriend and she said yes," Kayleigh blurted out._

_Troy looked at Larissa, "What?"_

Larissa glared at her sister, "I was going to tell him you know."

She shrugged, "Whatever." She sat down, wanting to see how this all played out.

Troy took a deep breath, "Um did she just say that David asked you to be his girlfriend," he asked just to make sure he heard his daughter correctly.

Larissa nodded, "Yes and I said yes dad," she said.

He took another deep breath, "Wow."

Kayleigh frowned, "Aren't you going to get mad at her?"

"Shut up Kayleigh," Larissa whispered.

"Larissa," Troy warned.

"Sorry."

He looked up at Kayleigh, "No I'm not going to get mad at her." He was silent for a moment, "It just took me by surprise," he said.

"So it is okay if I am his girlfriend," Larissa asked.

"Uh…"

Sharpay nudged him, "Come on Troy; he's a nice boy."

He stood up, "Larissa may I talk to you in the other room for a moment please?"

"Okay…" She got up and walked with him into the den.

He closed the door behind him, "Honey I think that it's great that David asked you to be his girlfriend. He seems like a nice kid."

She nodded, "He is!"

"I still want to talk to you about something important, however."

"Dad does this have something to do with…sex?"

He looked up at her, "Excuse me?"

"Sex. Is that what you're going to talk to me about because I know that I'm way, way, way too young and I wouldn't even think about doing anything…"

"Larissa."

"Sorry."

He sighed, "Well I'm glad you know that you're way too young and everything but that isn't what I was going to talk to you about."

"Oh…sorry," she said blushing.

"I'm not sure of any other way to put this so I'm just going to say it. It's a little hard for me to really…I don't know, accept the fact that my oldest daughter…my oldest child for that matter is dating. And you're only 11 ½."

"Dad Theresa was 11 when she dated Jordan," she said.

He nodded, "I know; it's just not easy when your oldest daughter starts dating. But considering the fact that your mom and I have met David before…"

She smiled, "So it's okay if I'm his girlfriend?"

"As long as you are careful…"

"Thank you daddy!" She hugged him. "Oh and he asked me if I wanted to go to see a movie on Saturday," she said cautiously.

"A movie. As in a theater that is completely dark except for the picture on the screen?"

She nodded, "Yes that kind."

He sighed, "Well…"

"Please dad?" She gave him her puppy dog face.

"As long as it's a matinee…"

She jumped up and down, "Thank you!" She hugged him again.

"You're welcome," he said with a small smile. This was going to take a while to get used to.

Sharpay listened as Ana and Zach told her about their day and what happened. "So dad is going to talk to your counselor tomorrow?"

Ana nodded, "But he's still going to think I'm a tattle-tale."

She shook her head, "No he won't, and even if he does, you just go to the director and tell her what is going on."

"That's what daddy said."

"He's right."

"What am I right about," Troy asked as he and Larissa emerged from the den.

"What you said to Ana about tomorrow," Sharpay said. She looked at Larissa's face, "So I trust everything went well in there?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"Good boy." She kissed him.

"Ugh, gross," Kayleigh said.

* * *

**Next Day…**

Troy stuck to his promise and walked with Zach and Ana over to Steve, their counselor. "Hi you must be Steve," Troy said.

"Yes that's me. May I help you sir?"

"Yes as a matter of fact you can. My daughter Ana here tells me that you didn't put her in yesterday's game when you said she could play. What's up with that?"

Steve was stunned. He never actually though Ana would say anything. "Well she insulted one of the other kids and…"

"She did not!" Zach yelled.

"Zachary," Troy warned.

"But she didn't! She was sticking up for herself dad."

Troy turned back to Steve, "My son has a point. Anyway why did you say she could play when you didn't even put her in the game?"

"I needed to give some of the other kids who hadn't played much yet a chance to play," he said. "She'll be in the next game next week."

He nodded, not completely convinced but he knew that Ana would do what she needed to do if everything didn't go according to plan. "All right; thank you for your time."

"No problem Mr. Bolton." He smiled and watched as Troy said goodbye to Ana and Zach. After he left, Steve walked over to Ana, "You never, ever do that again, understand?"

"But…"

"Why must you be so much trouble Ana? It's bad enough that they put a girl on the team…" He stopped talking when he realized he was saying this out loud.

Ana's mouth opened wide. "That's it." She wiped the oncoming tears from her eyes and marched over to the director of the camp who was making her morning rounds to make sure everything was going well. "Ms. Bauman I need to talk to you," she said.

"What is it dear," she asked.

"My counselor. He's not nice at all." Ana explained to her what had happened within the past two days.

"I see," Ms. Bauman said after Ana had finished. She turned to her assistant, "Jake will you please keep an eye on this group? I need to have a word with Steven here," she said.

Ana smiled to herself, proud of what she did.

"Good job," Zach whispered.

* * *

**One Week Later…**

It was now July 1st which meant Chad, Taylor, James, Jennifer, and Kellie would be coming into town today. Even though they were only 2 hours away, it felt like a lot more to James…

"Can I play it now," Jennifer asked her brother as she tried to reach for his cell phone.

"You don't play it Jen. You talk to people on it."

She rolled her eyes, "Then can I see it?"

"No."

"Mom!"

Taylor turned around, "Do not have me tell your father to turn this car around young lady," she said sternly.

"But he…"

"Jennifer," Chad said from the driver's seat. He looked in the rearview mirror at her. "Listen to your mother."

"But James won't let me…"

"It's his cell phone Jen. End of story!" Taylor nearly yelled.

Kellie groaned, "Mommy I don't feel good again," she said.

"Chad."

"I know." He pulled over to the side of the road and waited for Taylor to help Kellie out of the car.

James set his phone down for a second while he tied his shoe. When he sat back up, the phone wasn't there. "Hey where…Jennifer!"

"Ha, ha," she said as she held onto it…until someone grabbed it away from her.

"Do you want to be grounded," Chad asked his devious daughter.

"No."

"Then I suggest you stop. Now."

She crossed her arms, "Fine."

"Thank you." He handed the phone back to James, "Here you go."

"Thanks dad."

Taylor and Kellie came back to the car a few minutes later; Kellie had never been good with road trips and Taylor was petrified of flying so it was always a lose/lose situation.

"Feeling better," Chad asked Kellie.

She nodded, "Sorry dad."

"It's okay," he said as he started driving again.

James decided this was the perfect opportunity to call someone since he had the whole third row of the van to himself. He pressed number 4 on his speed dial.

* * *

"I'll get it," she called. "Hello?"

"Hey there," James said.

Katie smiled, "Hi. How are you…and where are you?"

"I'm fine and I think we're about an hour and a half away."

She nodded, "That's great. So are you guys coming over for dinner tonight? My parents said that everyone's coming."

"Uh hold on." He put the phone down, "Mom are we going to the Cross's for dinner tonight?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Yes," he said into the phone.

Katie cheered silently, "Great," she said in a normal, calm voice. "I can't wait to see you."

"Same here," he said. "Stop it!"

"Huh?"

"Sorry not you," he said. He glared at his sister. "Jennifer is just bugging me from here to Tuesday with trying to get my phone."

She nodded, "Oh okay. Well I need to get going; my mom's pestering me to go help her find Maddy's missing headband."

He chuckled, "Okay well I'll see you this evening then."

"Sounds good…bye."

"Bye." He hung up and smiled as he looked out the window.

* * *

After having heard what happened, Steve was 'let go' from the camp and a new counselor was assigned to the group. Unlike Steve, Adam (the counselor) was much nicer to Ana and treated her as an equal.

Larissa was happier than anything; David told her that his family was also going to the fireworks and that he would try to find her once they got there. Unfortunately for her, she had to wait two more days.

"Come on guys let's go," Sharpay said as she got her things together. Like Chad and Taylor, Troy and Sharpay were also going to Jason and Kelsi's for dinner.

"Coming," Kayleigh called. She jumped down the last two steps, "Ta-da!"

"Lovely," Sharpay muttered. "Troy where are you?"

He walked into the kitchen from the garage.

"Oh there you are," she said with a smile.

"Please don't smile at me right now," he said, not happy at all.

She sighed, "Still can't fix it?"

He shook his head, "Nope. The car is deader than dead," he said as he grabbed his keys.

"Ugh! This is getting really annoying." Sharpay had not been able to drive her car for the past two days and had to rely on Troy to drive the kids to and from camp. "But," she said, "Please at least for tonight, act happy okay?"

He gave her a small smile, "I'll try."

"Thank you." She placed her hand on her stomach, "Okay dear you can give mommy a break now," she said. She was now 6 months pregnant with an apparently very active baby.

"You okay," he asked.

"I'm fine." She was about to call for the kids again when she saw all four of them waiting, "Oh good I don't have to yell for you again. Come on, let's get going."

* * *

Katie beamed when she saw the Danforth's car pull up, "They're here!" She called.

She ran to the front door, but then realized it would make her seem less desperate to see James if she didn't answer the door. "Dad can you get the door please?"

Jason shook his head and chuckled, "Don't want to seem desperate?"

She shook her head.

He nodded, "Okay." He opened the door and welcomed Chad, Taylor, James, Jennifer, and Kellie into the house. Kellie ran to the bathroom however. "Is she all right," he asked as he looked at Chad.

"Yeah she doesn't do very well on car trips. She'll be fine.

"You're here!" Kelsi said as she and Maddy walked into the foyer. "Come on in," she said as she greeted everyone.

James just stood there and sighed. When he looked up, he couldn't help but to smile, "Hi," he said.

"Hi," Katie said as she walked over to him.

* * *

**Ah, a sweet ending to a…interesting chapter, LOL. Anyway what did you think? Please review and thanks!**

**Oh and yes – the rest of the gang will be over shortly…well in the next chapter anyway.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you for reviewing. As always, it means a lot. Also sorry I didn't update yesterday; I was enjoying my day off and well…I was feeling lazy, hehe.**

**A/N: I'm not feeling well so please bear with me! I just really wanted to get something out to you all. :-)**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 25**_

Katie walked down the stairs and over to James, "It's um…hi." She blushed, not knowing what to say.

He nodded, "Yeah it is," he said, knowing what she wanted to say.

"So…" She stood there awkwardly, not knowing if she should shake his hand, hug him or what. She didn't know until…

"I've missed you," he said as he slowly put his arms around her and hugged her.

She had to contain her glee. "Me too…I mean I've missed you too," she said as she looked into his eyes.

Chad tapped Taylor on the shoulder, "Look," he said quietly.

She smiled when she saw her son and Katie. "They are so…well I don't want to say 'cute' because they're too old for that…but they're just so…"

"Cute together?" Chad finished for her.

She nodded, "Yeah."

Kellie walked back over to her mom, "Okay I feel fine now," she said with a small smile.

"That's good to hear," Taylor said as she picked her daughter up. "Can you say hi to Jason and Kelsi?"

She turned her head so she was facing them, "Hi," she said softly. Kellie had always been on the shy side, even when it came to seeing people who were practically family.

Jason guided everyone out to the backyard. "I figured I'd start grilling in about 30 minutes," he said as he looked at his watch. It was 4:30. "Does that sound good to everyone?"

"Sounds great," Chad said.

Katie and James found a place on the lawn to sit down and just talk about anything and everything.

"I'll get it," Kelsi said when she heard the doorbell. She had yet to walk into the yard. She walked over to the door and opened it, "Hi!" She said happily when she saw Ryan, Gabi, Theresa, Michael, Angie, and Liam on the other side of it.

"Hi to you too," Gabi said as she hugged her friend. "How have you been?"

She nodded, "Pretty good. How about you all? It's been so long for some reason."

Ryan smiled, "Yeah it has…we've been good thanks," he said as he hugged and kissed Kelsi on the cheek. (The kind of kiss you give a friend, sheesh! ;-))

"That's great." She smiled at Liam who was focusing on his sippy cup. She tried not to laugh when he frowned and shook the cup. "I'm guessing you need a refill," she said to him.

Liam looked up at his mom, "No mowe juice," he said still frowning.

"That would be a yes," Gabi said. She took another cup out of the bag, "Here you go honey."

"Thank you mommy." He took the cup and began to once again drink from it.

"Now that that crisis is averted, would you all like to come into the backyard? That's where everyone else is," Kelsi said.

"Who else is here," Theresa asked.

"Chad and Taylor," Kelsi answered for her as they walked through the kitchen and out to the patio, "Look who's here."

Taylor turned around, "Gabi!" She hurried over to her best friend and hugged her, "How have you been?"

"Pretty good," she said as she leaned into Ryan.

He nodded, "Yep, life is good."

Theresa, not wanting to be by the adults, but also not wanting to be by the little kids, walked over to Katie and James who looked as though they were just talking. "Hi," she said.

The two looked up, "Hi!" Katie said as she gestured for her to join them.

She sat down, "Hi James," she said as she smiled at Katie.

"Hi Theresa. It's good to see you again."

She nodded, "Yeah, same here." She smiled when she saw Katie and James take each other's hands.

Katie looked at her, "What are you smiling at?"

"Oh I'm just admiring my handy work. Had it not been for me, you two would have never gotten together."

Katie nodded, "It's true," she said to James. "Miss Matchmaker here put us together."

"And we thank you for that," he said still smiling.

Troy got out of the car and walked around to the other side to help Sharpay.

"Troy I'm fine," she said rather irritated.

"I'm just trying to help."

"Well if you're trying to help, the next time we go somewhere, please check to see just how much gas we have in the car before going straight to the destination," she said as she got out of the car.

He shrugged, "I thought we would be able to make it." They had made it about halfway to Jason and Kelsi's when he noticed the little fuel light go off. Even though Sharpay told him before they left to stop for gas, he said that they would be fine.

"Get me out of here," Ana said quietly.

"Are you sick," Larissa asked her.

She nodded, "Sick of them fighting about nothing."

Larissa covered her mouth as she laughed silently, "Yeah me too," she managed to get out.

The four kids decided to leave their still arguing parents behind and walk up to the house. "I want to do it," Kayleigh said as she reached for the doorbell.

Jason, who had just wandered back into the house walked to the door, "Well hello there."

"Hi Uncle Jason," Kayleigh said.

"Where are your parents," he asked.

Larissa pointed to the car, "Over there. They're having one of their stupid fights over nothing."

"I see," he said with a small smile. "Well would you guys like to come in? I'll wait for them out here."

Zach nodded, "Yes please."

Jason let them in and told them where everyone else was. He then decided to watch and see if Troy and Sharpay were going to notice their children…or lack thereof.

"And another thing…" Sharpay looked around, "Where are they," she asked as she looked in the car, the sidewalk, and the surrounding houses.

"Hey lovebirds," Jason called, getting their attention. "Looking for some missing children," he asked as he walked over to them.

"We knew where they were," he said as he shook Jason's hand.

"Of course you did," he said as he led them up to the door and inside. "How are you feeling Sharpay?"

"Other than feeling like killing Troy, I feel fine," she said with a grin.

"Why do you have to be like that," Troy asked as they walked through the house.

She looked at him, "Be like what?"

"So persnickety," he said as they walked into the yard. What Troy did not realize was that he said that loud enough for everyone to hear. He looked up and saw all eyes on him. "Um, hello," he said feeling quite awkward.

"Persnickety," Chad asked with a strange look on his face. "Since when do you use that word?"

Troy smiled, "Great to see you too," he said as he greeted his friend.

"Sharpay you look…"

"Don't start," she warned Chad.

He shrugged, "What, I was going to say great."

"Oh." She smiled, "Well in that case thank you; you look pretty good yourself," she said as she hugged him. She walked over to Taylor, Gabi, and Kelsi.

Larissa who had found Theresa, Katie, and James shook her head, "I cannot believe he just said that!"

The other three were too busy laughing to comment.

"Thanks for your support," she said sarcastically.

"So," Katie said as she regained composure, "How's David?"

James looked at the two, "Who's David?"

"Larissa's boyfriend," Theresa said in a sing-song like voice.

James looked at her, "Cool…but aren't you only…"

She nodded, "Yes I'm only 11," she muttered. "But we don't even really date so it's not that big a deal," she said, lying through her teeth.

"Sure it isn't," Theresa said in the same tone.

"Will you stop," Larissa said now blushing.

Kayleigh giggled as she walked over to Angie, Maddy, and Kellie. "She has a boyfriend."

"Ew," Angie said. "Boys are yucky. They have…boy germs," she said.

Maddy nodded, "Yeah…" She looked over at Katie, "Yuck," she said when she saw Katie and James holding hands.

"Boys are cute," Kellie said as she looked at Zach and Michael.

Zach looked over and saw that Kellie was looking at him, "Not again," he groaned.

"What," Michael asked. He looked over at the girls. "Oh them." He shrugged, "They're okay."

"Most are," he said. "But Kellie talks way too much," he said.

Kayleigh stopped Kellie from walking over to Zach, "He's probably talking about basketball."

She shuddered, "Yuck…I hate basketball." She stayed where she was.

"I like it," Ana said as she walked over to them.

"It's for boys," Kellie said.

"It's for girls too," she countered. "I play it."

Kellie made a face, "But you get all sweaty and you have to wear uniforms."

She shrugged, "So?" She walked away from them and over to her mom.

* * *

**2 Days Later; 4th of July…**

"Let's sit over here," Jennifer called to her family when she found a spot in the grass that wasn't too wet or cold.

"If we had to change her middle name it would definitely be 'picky,'" Taylor said to Gabi as they walked over to Jennifer. "This spot looks good."

Troy nodded, "Yeah I think this'll do just fine."

Larissa slowly walked over to them. She was looking for David and his family causing her to fall far behind the others.

"Larissa come on," Sharpay called.

She sighed and walked over to her parents. "He probably forgot," she said to herself as she sat down.

"Who probably forgot what," Sharpay asked.

"Nothing." She looked over at Katie and James who were sitting next to each other. "This isn't fair."

"What isn't fair," Theresa asked as she sat by her.

"David lives in Albuquerque and Katie's boyfriend lives in California. Look who got here first." She picked some grass and threw it.

She shrugged, "Maybe they got stuck in traffic. I mean look at this place; it's packed."

"Maybe."

She sighed and looked up, "Larissa."

"Not now," she said, still looking down.

"No really now would be a very good…"

"I said not…" She looked up and saw David walking over to her. "Hi," she said as she stood up. She was now smiling.

He smiled at her, "Sorry we couldn't find a parking spot," he said to her. He gestured to his parents, "This is my mom and dad by the way."

"Ahem," a girl who looked to be a little younger than Zach and Kayleigh said from behind David.

He rolled his eyes, "And my sister Rachel."

Larissa smiled, "Hi, nice to meet you."

Rachel frowned at Larissa, "You can't like my brother!"

"Rachel relax," David's mother said as she picked her up.

Sharpay saw David, "Hello," she said as she walked over to Larissa. "I'm Sharpay Bolton," she said as she extended her hand. She motioned for Troy to come over.

"Nice to meet you; I'm Leah and this is my husband Jacob."

"Wow you're lucky," Larissa said as she and David sat down while their parents talked.

"What do you mean," he asked.

"You only have one sister."

He shook his head, "No actually I have 2 sisters and 1 brother. My sister Jamie is 16 and my brother Derek is 18…Rachel's 5."

She nodded, "Well it is probably a lot quieter there."

He laughed, "Yeah right; my sister is always on the phone, my brother is always yelling at her to get off the phone and my parents are always yelling at my brother about his grades. And Jamie always rubs it in his face since she is a genius." He shook his head, "Trust me, it's not quiet."

She giggled, "Okay point taken. So where are they?"

"Who knows," he said. "Besides I don't really care about that," he said as he smiled at her.

An hour later the fireworks finally began and they were not only flying in the sky. Katie had set her head on James's shoulder, "They're so pretty," she said.

He nodded, "Yeah…but not as pretty as you."

She looked at him, "Thanks," she said blushing.

He slowly leaned towards her and kissed her gently.

* * *

Once they were over, Larissa and David stood up, "Well I had a lot of fun," David said. 

She nodded, "Me too."

He leaned in and was about to kiss her cheek when she moved her head, causing him to kiss her on the lips.

* * *

**Hmm, seems as though I haven't lost my evil side even though I don't feel well. ;-) Anyway I hope you liked the chapter. Please review! Thanks.**


	26. Chapter 26

**First off, thank you very much for the reviews! I love reading them. **

**Second I'd like to make an apology; it seems as though I have already put Troy and Sharpay meeting David's parents into the story…oops! Well just pretend that they barely remember them or something…I don't know. Anyway my apologies for that! Thank you GoodCharlotte615 for pointing it out to me!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 26**_

_He leaned in and was about to kiss her cheek when she moved her head, causing him to kiss her on the lips._

The two quickly parted. "I am so sorry," David said. "I meant to give you a goodnight kiss on the cheek and…"

She shook her head, "its okay…I liked it actually." She gave him a small smile. "Happy 4th of July."

He gave her a relieved smile, "Happy 4th of July."

David's father walked over to them, "David it's time to go home." He looked at Larissa, "It was nice seeing you again," he said as he remembered seeing her once before at the play.

She smiled, "Same here Mr. Greene," she said softly.

David smiled once more at Larissa, "See you in a couple of days," he said referring to camp.

"Yeah, see ya." She smiled as she watched him leave with his parents and little sister who stuck her tongue out at Larissa.

At the same time, Troy and Sharpay looked at one another and smiled, "Happy 4th," he said softly. He kissed her.

"Happy 4th," she repeated as she returned the kiss. The two had made up the next morning after their fight; Sharpay's hormones had been acting up which had caused her to get so angry. Thankfully Troy knew this and didn't let their little fight get to him.

He looked over at Larissa and David, "What the…"

She looked at them as well. "Don't freak out," she said as she stopped him from going over there. "Besides look; they parted already. I think that he was trying to give her a kiss on the cheek," she said as she observed the two. "And she probably moved her head…" She looked at Troy.

He sighed, "I still think she's too young to be kissing anyone," he said gruffly.

Sharpay groaned, "Don't start this again," she said. "How about this: we will talk to her when we get home. Does that sound all right?"

"I guess so," he said as he looked at the two once more. David was now leaving with his family. "Come on we had better get going too," he said when he saw Ana lean into Sharpay's shirt, her hands over her ears.

"It's too loud," she cried.

Troy put his arms around her, "It's okay sweetie; the fireworks are over now."

"I want to go home!"

Larissa walked over to her family and gulped. She knew that her parents were going to kill her for probably seeing what had just happened. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Did you enjoy the fireworks," Sharpay asked as she began to fold the blanket that she, Troy, Zach, Ana, and Kayleigh had been sitting on.

"They were fun," she said.

"I think you had a little too much fun," Troy mumbled to himself.

Sharpay turned around and elbowed him in the arm. "Stop it."

"Dad it's not like we meant to…"

"We will talk at home," he said a little too sternly for her liking. He kissed Ana's head and picked her up as she was still upset from the noise. "Kayleigh, Zach, we're going home," he said.

* * *

**Same Time; Katie & James…**

As the two parted, Katie could feel a rush of feelings inside of her. "Thank you," she said, hoping he knew that she was referring to the comment.

He smiled, "You really are the prettiest one here," he said. He kissed her once more before he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He pulled away from Katie and looked behind him, "Hi dad," he said.

"I take it you had fun," he said.

"It wasn't like that…"

He shook his head, "That's not what I meant." He smiled at Katie, "Have a great rest of the holiday Katie."

She smiled, relieved that Chad wasn't angry, "Thank you."

Chad turned back to James, "I hate to do this, but since we have to leave kind of early tomorrow morning, we're going to head back to the hotel."

James nodded, "Just let me say goodbye, please?"

"Sure." He walked over to Taylor who was talking with Gabi and Kelsi.

James turned back to Katie, "I had a really nice weekend, thanks to you."

She blushed, "So did I." She hugged him, "When are you guys coming back?"

"I don't know but we'll write and email all the time, okay?"

"Yeah." She pulled away and smiled. "Well…have a safe trip home."

"Thanks." He couldn't resist; he leaned in and gently kissed her again. "Bye Katie," he said quietly.

"Bye," she said just as quietly. They hugged once more. Katie watched as James walked over to his parents who were now saying goodbye to Troy and Sharpay. She walked over to her parents as well and smiled.

Jason looked at his daughter, "You are growing up too fast for me," he said smiling.

"I agree," Kelsi said as she joined Jason. "But you have to sometime so…"

Katie smiled, "Thanks mom." She knew her mom meant that she and Jason were fine with her relationship with James.

* * *

Larissa lagged behind as she and her family walked to the car. She did not want to hear what her dad had to say. The only thing she knew was that he wasn't going to approve of her kissing a boy.

"Come on Larissa," Sharpay said as she waited for her by the car.

"I don't think I want to go home," she said looking at Troy.

Sharpay put an arm around her, "It'll be all right honey."

She nodded and got into the car.

The ride home was silent for the most part with the occasional comment about how cool the fireworks were from one of the kids. Larissa just stared out the window and dreaded walking into the approaching house.

Once Troy pulled into the garage and shut the car off, Larissa got out as quickly as possible and almost made it to the stairs.

"Larissa please come in here," Troy said, catching up to her. He motioned towards the den.

She did as she was told and followed her dad into the den, Sharpay close behind. "Dad I…"

"I think you're too young to be dating," he said.

She just sat there, her mouth open. "What?"

"Larissa you are only 11 years old and this thing with David is getting way too serious."

"Dad I'm almost 12 and it's not getting serious…not in the way you're thinking anyway. He was just going to kiss my cheek but I moved my head and…"

"Other than camp I don't want you two to see each other anymore," he said bluntly.

She held back her tears as best she could, "Thanks for ruining my life!" She yelled as she ran past both him and Sharpay and up the stairs to her room. She slammed the door and threw herself on her bed crying.

Back downstairs Troy sat down and looked at Sharpay, "Now what?"

"That was completely uncalled for Troy. This is just an innocent little romantic thing going on for goodness sake!"

"Sharpay…"

"Don't Sharpay me. You are just afraid that she is going to stop being your little girl. Well guess what Troy? She will stop if you don't stop this nonsense." She stood up and walked out of the room and upstairs.

Larissa cried silently into her pillow when she heard a knock at the door. "Go away!"

Sharpay opened it a crack, "It's me honey; can I come in?"

She looked up and more tears flowed down her face.

Sharpay walked over to her and sat down beside her. "It's okay," she said softly.

Larissa shook her head, "He ruined my life mom! I hate him!"

"Don't say that; I know you're very upset with him but never say you hate him."

"Why does he have to be like that," she asked as she grabbed a tissue.

Troy checked on the other kids before walking over to Larissa's room. He heard the entire conversation and closed his eyes, cursing himself for what he said. He took a deep breath and opened the door wider, "May I come in Larissa?"

She looked over at him, "No."

"Larissa," Sharpay said.

She sighed, "Fine," Larissa said making sure not to look at him.

Sharpay kissed her head and got up and walked over to Troy, "Don't screw up again," she said quietly as she walked out of the room.

Troy took a deep breath and walked over to Larissa and sat down, "Larissa what I said downstairs…" He paused, "Well after you left your mom said something to me that only just now clicked in my head." He looked over at her. "I guess I'm just afraid that you're growing up too fast for me…it's a little…well scary," he said.

She sniffled and looked up at him, "I can't help growing up dad…it just…happens."

He nodded, "I know it does, but I'm talking about the romance department. I was okay with you and David hanging out but when I saw you two tonight, well that was just a little too much."

She wiped her eyes, "Can I still see him?"

* * *

**Yes I know, cruddy place to leave it, but I'm just not feeling well. So I'll try to continue tomorrow when I feel better. Thankfully it'll be Friday evening and I'll have the weekend to recover from this week! Please review and suggestions or ideas are welcome. Thanks.**

**P.S. – For those of you reading it, no I haven't forgotten about my other story "Going Home." I'm just taking a break from it; I have run out of ideas and am just concentrating on one at a time. Also, the other story I'm co-writing…well we are hoping to update this weekend. Thanks!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi, sorry for not updating sooner. I'm sort of at a block with what is going to happen next. Thank you for all the reviews though! They really mean a lot.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**

_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 27**_

Troy didn't say anything for a moment. He didn't want to lose his little girl but at the same time he didn't want to keep her from growing up. He looked at her, "As long as you keep it to things that can be done during the day since you are too young to be staying out…"

She smiled, "Thank you!" She hugged him, "And we will dad."

He smiled glad to see Larissa back to her old self, "You're welcome."

Sharpay stood just outside the room and smiled as well. "Very good," she said to herself before going to check on the other kids.

* * *

**2 Weeks Later…**

"I'm back," Sharpay called as she walked into the house from dropping Kayleigh and Larissa off at camp.

Troy walked downstairs, "Are you ready to go?"

She nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be," she said as she patted her stomach. She had an appointment with her doctor today just to make sure everything was still going well with the baby. Sharpay was now officially 7 months pregnant and remarkably enough, she was doing fine without bed rest even though her doctor had told her that there was a very good chance that she would have to be on it by her 5th month of pregnancy if things weren't looking good; but she was doing very well for someone who was told that she was never going to be able to get pregnant or if she did that she would not carry past 5 months.

"Let's get going then." Troy grabbed his keys and walked with Sharpay out to the car.

She stopped just short of the car door and placed her hand on her stomach, "This baby will never sleep; I can tell right now."

He smiled, "That just says that the baby is perfectly healthy," he said as he kissed her.

She nodded, "Yeah you're right." She got into the car.

Once there, Sharpay signed herself in and sat down next to Troy.

He looked over at her, "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm just a little nervous…do you remember the last time I made it to 7 months?"

"Yes; you had two beautiful babies, both of whom were and still are perfectly healthy." He kissed her.

"Sharpay Bolton," the nurse called.

Sharpay and Troy stood up and followed the nurse to one of the examining rooms.

"She will be here in minute," the nurse said as she took Sharpay's blood pressure.

"Thank you," she said.

The nurse smiled and walked out of the room so that Sharpay could change into the gown for Dr. Jacobs to examine her.

After changing, Sharpay lay back on the table and took Troy's hand, "I'm still scared."

"I'll still be here for you."

She nodded and took a deep breath, praying that the baby was still all right.

Dr. Jacobs walked into the room a few minutes later, "Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"Morning," Sharpay said quietly.

"How are you feeling today," she asked.

"Well to be honest I'm a little nervous," she said.

Dr. Jacobs nodded, "That is perfectly understandable; after all the last time you were 7 months pregnant…"

"She had the babies," Troy finished for her.

"Does that mean I'll deliver early again," Sharpay asked, quite nervous now.

"No, not necessarily. I'll know more once I do the ultrasound," she said as she set everything up.

Sharpay nodded and squeezed Troy's hand so hard that his knuckles started to turn white.

"Sharpay," he said.

"I'm okay," she said.

"No that's not…"

"I'll be fine Troy," she said getting irritated.

He sighed, "Sharpay I can't feel my hand."

She looked down at her hand and then at his and loosened her grip, "Sorry."

He smiled softly, "its okay."

"Here we go," Dr. Jacobs said as she started the ultrasound. She looked up on the monitor. "And there it is," she said.

Sharpay and Troy looked at the monitor and smiled. "Wow," was all Sharpay could say. "I can see its hand," she said as a few tears fell down her face.

"And there is its foot," the doctor pointed out. "And you are doing quite well," she said.

"Of course she is," Troy said. "She's a fighter as is this baby."

Dr. Jacobs nodded and looked at Sharpay, "I like the way your husband thinks."

"Me too," she said as she smiled at him. "So does everything else look…normal?"

"Yes everything looks good to me; I still can't get over how well you're doing when you had to be on complete bed rest during your last pregnancy," she said as she turned the monitor off and handed Sharpay a towel to dry the gel off with.

"And the fact that this baby kicks a lot is okay?"

She smiled, "Yes it is quite normal for babies to kick."

"Well this one kicks more than usual," she said as the baby kicked her rib causing her to wince in pain.

Troy saw this, "Are you all right? Do we need to get to the…?"

"Troy."

"Yes?"

"The baby was kicking; that's all. It just kicked my ribs," she said as she rubbed her now sore rib. "Is that normal," she asked the doctor.

She nodded, "Yes it's perfectly normal especially for babies that are starting to turn so that they are upside down and get in the position that they should be in when they're born."

"Well I guess that's good," Sharpay said with a sigh of relief.

"It's very good," Troy said as he kissed her forehead.

"Anyway," Dr. Jacobs said, "I want to see you in two weeks instead of a month; I would like to just make sure everything is progressing how it should be," she explained.

Sharpay nodded, "Okay I can do that."

* * *

Larissa tapped her foot nervously on the floor. Today they were blocking for the song "An Ordinary Couple." The song in which Maria and the Captain discover they truly love one another.

"All right David and Larissa please come onto the stage," the director called.

Larissa got up as did David. He looked just as nervous as she did. They looked at one another before walking up to the stage.

"Here is what I would like to do; as you two sing, I am going to have you move into the positions that I'd like you to be standing in at various points of the song." She looked at the two, "Does that sound all right?"

Larissa nodded, "Uh…okay."

"Sure," David said.

"Excellent." She cued the pianist to start the music.

Larissa took a deep breath and began to sing.

_An ordinary couple  
Is all we'll ever be,  
For all I want of living  
Is to keep you close to me;  
To laugh and weep together  
While time goes on its flight,  
To kiss you every morning  
And to kiss you every night._

As she sang, Sandra, the director, had Larissa walk over to David so that the two were facing one another, still about 10 feet apart from each other.

She continued to sing.

_We'll meet our daily problems,  
And rest when day is done,  
Our arms around each other  
In the fading sun._

As Larissa sang the words "Our arms around each other," Sandra had Larissa walk over to David and gently place her arm on his shoulder. Larissa froze, nearly forgetting the words that came next; she had never been this close to David before...not for this long before anyway.

She continued to sing.

_An ordinary couple,  
Across the years we'll ride,  
Our arms around each other,  
And our children by our side...  
Our arms around each other._

As the music played, Sandra had David take Larissa's hand. He then sang his part, which was the same as Larissa's. Yet as he got to the last verse…the verse he and Larissa shared, Sandra shocked the two…

"Now…gently kiss her."

David just stood there, frozen. "W-What?"

"Kiss her," she repeated as if it wasn't a big deal.

Larissa gulped and shrugged, "its only acting," she whispered.

He nodded and quickly kissed her cheek.

Kayleigh smiled to herself. Although she and Larissa had come to a truce for the most part, lingering sibling rivalry continued between the two. She wasn't going to let Larissa live this one down.

"That was terrific," Sandra said happy with what she had done. "All right I'd like to start blocking for the processional now," she said to the chorus.

David and Larissa walked off stage and sat down, still in shock at what they had just done.

* * *

After stopping for lunch and then shopping for a few things for the baby's room (which was currently the den next to Troy and Sharpay's room), they drove to go pick up Ana and Zach from camp.

"Come on Ana you can do it," Adam, her counselor said. "Just shoot it and…" She smiled, "Excellent!"

Ana smiled, "Thank you," she said softly. Ever since Steve left and Adam came, Ana's game had improved dramatically.

Troy and Sharpay watched from a distance as Ana continued to do extremely well. "I can't believe how well she's doing," Sharpay said.

"She's a Bolton; of course she's doing well." Troy smiled.

"Yeah, yeah," Sharpay said rolling her eyes.

"Ana how would you like to start in the game that's in a few days," Adam asked her.

She just looked at him with wide eyes, "Uh…sure," she said completely shocked.

He smiled, "Great."

Ana turned around and saw Zach, "Did you hear that?"

He nodded, "Good job."

She smiled and was about to take another shot when she saw her parents. "Dad! I get to start in the next game!" She said as she ran over to the two.

"That's great honey," he said as he kissed her head. "I'm so proud of you."

Zach walked over to them, "I get to start too," he said.

Troy smiled, "And I am extremely happy for you too."

Sharpay hugged the two, "Shall we go get your sisters?"

"I guess," Ana said as she grabbed her water bottle and drank some water as she walked to the car.

As the four walked into the theatre, Kayleigh looked up and saw them. She took this as her golden opportunity to tell them what she saw. "Hi daddy," she said angelically.

"Hi honey how was camp today?"

She smiled, "Good…I saw Larissa kiss David."

Larissa overheard this and stomped over to her parents, "It was for the show," she said glaring at her sister.

Troy nodded, "Okay."

Sharpay frowned at Kayleigh, "Do you or do you not want to get your ears pierced on Saturday," she threatened.

Kayleigh looked at the ground, "I do."

"Then I suggest you stop trying to get your sister in trouble."

David walked over to where he and Larissa were sitting and saw Larissa's script. "Uh oh," he said to himself. He ran out of the theatre, "Larissa!"

Larissa turned around, "Hi."

"You forgot this," David said showing her the script.

"Oh…thanks," she said blushing.

Kayleigh sneered. "David and Larissa sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S…"

"Kayleigh Michelle," Sharpay warned her 7 year old.

She crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at her sister and walked to the car.

* * *

**Well no major cliffhanger there but what do you think of Kayleigh? Is she turning back into her old self? Or could this be something else? Hmm…and so far so good for Sharpay! Only 2 months left…or are there…please review! Thanks!**

**P.S. – I don't know how I did it, but I somehow got over the block as I was writing this, LOL. **


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you for all the reviews! As you know, I love reading them.**

**A/N: I need baby names. Boy and girl names are appreciated! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 28**_

**3 Days Later…**

Ana woke up earlier than normal; today was the big game. Well it was a big game for her because she was starting. Ana, who had yet to be in a game all summer (no thanks to Steve, her previous counselor), was now starting. She got out of bed and got her uniform out of the closet and got dressed. She walked downstairs where she saw her parents.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

Sharpay looked up, "Well good morning; you're up rather early today," she said as she kissed her forehead.

"I'm starting today mom!"

"And your dad and I will be there," Sharpay said.

Troy nodded, "That we will."

She smiled, "I know." She sat down at the table.

Sharpay looked at her watch, "I'm going to get the others up," she said as she stood up. "This is getting harder and harder to do," she said as she put her hand on her stomach.

"Are you feeling okay," Troy asked.

She nodded, "Yes I'm fine; I just forgot how it feels to be this pregnant," she said with a smile. She walked out of the kitchen and upstairs to wake the other kids up.

"So how are you feeling about today," Troy asked Ana.

She shrugged, "Pretty good…but I'm kind of nervous. What if I screw up?"

"I'm sure you'll do just fine honey; if you make a mistake no one will get mad at you." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She nodded, "Okay."

After 30 minutes, everyone was awake, dressed, and ready to go. Sharpay got her things together, "Come on Kayleigh," she called upstairs.

Kayleigh walked downstairs, "I'm not feeling well today mom."

Sharpay frowned and felt her forehead, "Well you're not warm. Does your stomach hurt?"

She thought for a moment, "Uh…yes."

"Kayleigh I think you're fine honey; is something bothering you," she asked as she walked with her to the door leading to the garage where Larissa was waiting.

"No."

"Well let's get going then," Sharpay said as she escorted her out to the car.

Larissa looked at her sister, "What's the matter?"

Kayleigh simply got into the car without answering. She wasn't about to tell her mom or her sister that some of the other kids at camp were making fun of her because her sister was playing the lead while she was just a 'minor' character as they had put it. Why did Larissa always have to out do her?

* * *

Theresa looked at her calendar again and frowned. It was her birthday today but no one had mentioned anything to her; she had received a few cards in the mail from her grandparents and a few friends, but other than that, no one in her own family had said a thing to her. She walked out of her room and downstairs into the kitchen where she saw her dad, but not her mom. 

Ryan looked up when he heard footsteps, "Morning honey," he said casually. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine," she said flatly. How could her own parents forget about her birthday? Maybe her mom remembered. "Where's mom?"

"She's helping your sister get dressed."

She sighed; maybe if she dropped minor hints to him he would remember what day it was. "Nice _day_ isn't it," she asked. "I wonder if that deer we saw had her baby."

"Maybe," he said, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

Now she wanted to scream. She then saw Angie come into the kitchen. Angie always remembered her birthday. "Hi Angie," she said, trying to be positive.

"Hi." She sat down at the table. "Hap…"

"Ahem," Gabi said, walking into the kitchen. She looked over at Theresa, "Morning honey."

"Morning." She was now in a rather foul mood. Both of her parents and her little sister had forgotten her birthday! Maybe Michael remembered. She was wrong. When he walked into the kitchen all he did was get his breakfast and sit down at the table.

Gabi looked over at Theresa, "Aren't you going to eat something honey?"

"I'm not hungry," she said as she got up and stomped up the stairs to her room and shut the door.

Ryan looked over at Gabi, "Maybe we're taking this whole thing a little too far."

She shook her head, "I remember when I turned 13 my mom decided to pretend to forget my birthday, as did my dad and grandparents. I was in the worst mood since I thought everyone, including all of my friends forgot it was my birthday. No one said anything at school; no one gave me a card…nothing. So when I got home I was quite shocked to see my mom, dad, grandparents, and friends all there. It made my day."

"Yeah but she has to wait until this evening," he pointed out.

"Everything will pay off in the end; you'll see," she said. She turned to Angie, "And you have to keep this a secret," she said. If there was anyone in the Evans household who was incapable of keeping a secret, it was 5 ½ year old Angie. She told anything and everything she heard to everyone.

"Okay mommy," she said.

"She won't even care anyway," Michael said as he took a bite of his breakfast. "She's in a bad mood…again."

"First of all please wait until you've finished chewing to talk and second once she sees what's in store for her, she will be in a good mood," Gabi said.

"I hope you're right," Ryan said as he got up. "Anyway I have to get to work." He kissed Gabi goodbye. "I'll see you guys later."

Gabi nodded, "Remember you have to pick Theresa up from the pool at 4:30 and make sure you aren't home before 5:00 okay?"

He nodded, "Yes dear." Theresa had decided to try out for the junior varsity swim team at East High and when she found out she made it she was ecstatic. The only drawback was she had practice everyday from 11:00 to 4:00. "See you later." He walked over and kissed Angie's head and simply waved to Michael since he didn't want his dad to hug him in front of anyone.

Theresa got her things for swim practice and changed into her bathing suit. "I hate today," she mumbled.

* * *

"All right now remember your mom and I will be her at 2:30 for the game," Troy said as he pulled up at the camp. 

The two nodded, "Okay dad," Ana said as she got out of the car. "Bye."

"Bye dad," Zach echoed as he too got out of the car. They walked over to their group.

As they did, Zach cringed from the pain in his leg; he had fallen the other day during a practice.

"Are you okay," Ana asked him.

He nodded, "Yeah," he said as he rubbed his leg.

Craig walked over to the two, "Aw is wittle Zachy's leg still hurting," he asked in a baby-like voice.

Ana walked over to him so she was right in front of him, "Leave him alone."

"Oh look, silent Ana talks," he said to his friends.

"At least Zach knows how to make a basket," she said, referring to the same day when Craig threw the ball in the wrong direction. "And look who gets to start today."

Craig simply frowned at her and walked away.

Zach smiled, "Thanks."

"No problem; he's a jerk."

He nodded, "Yep."

Adam walked over to them, "Are you two just going to stand there or are you going to practice," he asked as he handed them each a ball.

"Sorry," Ana said as she took the ball.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "Just show me what you did yesterday."

She nodded and threw the ball from the free throw line and watched as it went straight into the basket.

"Excellent," Adam said as he high-fived her. "That's what I want to see today."

Zach walked over to where Ana was standing and did the same thing, also making the ball go straight it. "Cool."

"Good thing I have you both starting," Adam said.

The two smiled at one another.

* * *

Larissa finished her scene with the girl playing Liesl and walked over to David, "Hi," she said. 

He smiled, "You did really well up there."

She blushed, "Thanks."

"So…what are you doing after camp?"

"We're going to my cousin's surprise birthday party which should be rather interesting," she said.

He nodded, "Why's that?"

"Well from what my parents said, we're all supposed to pretend that we forgot that it's her birthday and she is probably really, really mad now…I just hope she's happy at the party," she explained.

"Oh one of those…we did that to my sister last year," he said.

"How'd she take it?"

He gave her a look, "Well let's just say that when she thought we all forgot her birthday she got really…well…mad. She ended up breaking at least three plates while cleaning up her breakfast. That's what happens when she's mad; she gets these weird powers and becomes really strong and…" He looked at Larissa who was now giving him a 'yeah right' look. "Well she just gets very mad."

"What happened when she realized you were throwing her a party?"

He shrugged, "She got over very fast…especially when she saw the birthday present my parents gave her…this really nice watch."

She smiled, "That's cool…" She would have gone on had she not looked over David's shoulder and seen some girls standing around Kayleigh and giggling…only Kayleigh wasn't giggling along with them. "Uh oh," she said quietly.

"What is it?" He looked over and saw the girls and Kayleigh. "Oh boy."

She nodded, "Yeah." She got up and walked closer to the girls so she could at least hear what they were saying.

"…You'll probably always be in 2nd place," one of the girls said.

"Yeah and you can't even sing well," another girl about Kayleigh's age said.

Kayleigh just stood there and tried her best not to cry. This had been going on everyday since they found out who was who in the cast.

"And your sister gets to act with one of the cutest boys…you don't even get to act with a boy…unless you include him," she said, pointing to the boy playing one of the brothers.

Larissa looked at Kayleigh and saw a few tears fall down her face. "That's it," she said to herself. She walked over to them, "What's up?"

The girls stopped talking and looked at Larissa, "Oh nothing," one of them said.

The other girl nodded, "Yeah, what Stacey said."

"Not from what I heard," Larissa said as she took Kayleigh's hand. "Have you ever heard her sing before?" She paused and waited for a response. "I didn't think so. Well for your information, she is really good."

"Pssh, yeah right," Stacey, an 8 year old said.

"Leave me alone!" Kayleigh yelled at the girls. She ran from her sister and out into one of the other rooms.

David decided to intervene, "You guys need to grow up."

The girls just stood there in shock; they never thought that the cutest guy at the camp would say something mean (well to them it was mean) to them.

David walked away and into the room in which Kayleigh and gone into. "Hey," he said as he sat down next to her.

She looked up and wiped her eyes, "Hi."

"Are you okay?"

"Larissa always gets the better roles! And then the other girls make fun of me! It's not fair," she sobbed.

David put his arm around her, "No, it's not fair but you know what?"

"What?"

"I think they're just jealous that you are the younger sister of the star; they are afraid that next year you'll get the lead role."

She sniffled, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yeah. It happened to one of my friend's brothers and he ended up getting the starring role the next year. And the kids who made fun of him…well let's just say they were really jealous."

"They were?"

"Yeah…so don't get too upset over this; they're probably just jealous," he said.

She nodded, "Yeah…"

Larissa, who was listening from the doorway, smiled. Not only was he her boyfriend, but he was befriending her sister; something that not many people were able to do.

* * *

Troy and Sharpay made sure to arrive a few minutes early to get good seats for the game. "Look there's Ana," Sharpay said as she watched her stretch and then throw a few warm up shots. 

"She has gotten really good," Troy said with a smile.

"Good afternoon parents, friends, and other relatives," the director said. "And welcome to our game; Group A, also known as the Junior Wildcats versus Group B, also known as the Junior Knights. We hope you have a great time and remember to cheer everyone on," she said. She turned to the referee who began the game.

Ana was in the game for nearly the whole time as was Zach. The only time they weren't in it was for part of the 2nd and 3rd quarters. As the 4th quarter clock began to wind down, Ana and Zach were on fire. "Come on," Troy said as he looked at the clock. There were 10 seconds left and Zach had the ball; he had made the winning basket in the last game and decided it was someone else's turn. He passed the ball to Ana who threw it….everyone watched as if it were in slow motion as it flew through the air and went to the basket, circled around a few timed and then…went in right as the buzzer buzzed.

"YES!" Sharpay yelled. "Go Ana!"

Ana just stood there as her teammates surrounded her and congratulated her. Zach walked over to her and hugged her, "You were awesome!"

She smiled and saw her parents and ran over to them, "Did you see me?"

"Yep we sure did," Troy said as he hugged her. "That was great honey!"

"We are so proud of both of you," Sharpay said. She hugged Zach.

* * *

Ryan drove to the pool and waited for Theresa to finish getting changed. "Ready," he asked once she had her clothes on and her bag with her. 

"Yes," she said flatly. She walked to the car and got in and stared out the window.

Ryan looked at his watch, glad that it was already 4:45. They would definitely be home after 5:00. He got into the car and started it and drove home. Once there, he parked in the driveway. "Your mom said she was cleaning the garage today," he said, remembering that Gabi wanted him to come through the front door.

"Whatever," she said as they walked to the door.

Ryan unlocked it and opened the door. "Maybe you should turn on the lights," he suggested when they entered the dark home.

She rolled her eyes and turned on the lights.

"SURPRISE!"

Theresa just stood there, shocked.

* * *

**Whoo! That was a long chapter, LOL. So how do you think Theresa will react to the surprise? Please review and remember I need names! Who knows, I might skip ahead in the next chapter…anyway, thanks for reading!**

**P.S. - I promise I didn't forget about Jason, Kelsi, and Katie! They'll be in the next chapter. :-) And there will be more Kayleigh and Larissa too.  
**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you for all the reviews! I cannot believe I have over 330:-O You guys totally rock. Oh and thank you very much for the names! You'll be happy to know I chose one, hehe.**

** A/N: Oh and the last part of this chapter may sound a bit like lipshake's story "No One But You." My apologies for that, lipshake! Just wanted you to know that I'm not trying to copy you in any way here. :-)  
**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 29**_

_Ryan unlocked it and opened the door. "Maybe you should turn on the lights," he suggested when they entered the dark home._

_She rolled her eyes and turned on the lights._

"_SURPRISE!"_

Theresa just stood there, completely shocked. She looked from her dad to her brothers and sister, to her extended family (Jason, Kelsi, Katie, and Maddy included), to some of her friends from school; Kari in particular and back to her dad. "What's going on," she asked, still in total shock.

"What do you think is going on," Gabi asked as she made her way through everyone and walked over to Theresa. "Happy birthday!" She hugged her.

Once again, Theresa was shocked. So the didn't forget? "Wait a minute," she said after Gabi pulled away from her, "You didn't forget about my birthday?"

"Nope," Ryan said smiling. "It was all part of the plan."

A small smile crept onto her face, "Wow," she said quietly.

Kari hurried over to her, "I hope you're not mad…but when your mom suggested this a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but to say yes."

She shook her head, "No I'm not mad…just…surprised."

"Perfect!" Kari hugged her, "Happy birthday Teri!" Kari was the only one who was ever allowed to call her that (aside from her parents…even though they never did).

After walking over to and hugging everyone (which took a good 10 minutes), she was blindfolded.

"Sorry this part was your mom's idea," Ryan said as he guided his daughter down the stairs and into the basement. "Okay one more step," he said. "And…you may now take it off," he said as he stopped her.

She took off the blindfold and gasped. The entire basement had been transformed into what looked like a party room. "Oh. My. Gosh." She turned to her mom, "You did all of this?"

Gabi shrugged, "Well I had a little help from Kelsi."

"Ahem," Kelsi said.

"Okay I had a lot of help from Kelsi."

"Gabriella."

She sighed, "Okay this part was Kelsi's idea," she said. "There, happy now?" She couldn't help but to smile as she said this to Kelsi.

"Yes, thank you," Kelsi said. She walked over to Theresa, "So how do you like it?"

Theresa smiled, "I…I love it! Thank you!" She hugged both her mom and Kelsi. She turned to her dad, "Thanks dad."

"You're welcome honey." He hugged her.

Kari walked over to the stereo and looked at Ryan and Gabi who both nodded. She turned it on, "Now it's a party!"

Gabi grabbed her hair, "Her present!" She said to Ryan. "Where is it?"

"I thought you had it," he said aside to her as they walked to the other side of the room.

"I did but then I had to put it somewhere that she never looks," she said.

He thought for a moment, "Linen closet." He hurried upstairs to the linen closet, picked up the gift, and ran back downstairs, "Here we are. It was under the towels."

"Just as I suspected," she said. She took the square-shaped box from Ryan and turned down the music on the stereo. "I'm sorry but we just wanted to give you you're presents now," she said.

Theresa nodded, "Okay."

Angie walked over to her sister, "I made this all by myself!" She handed her sister a clay pot she had made in the pottery class she had at camp. "I also painted it all by myself," she said proudly.

Theresa smiled, "Thank you Angie. I love it; you even have my favorite colors on here."

She smiled, "I know!" She gave her big sister a hug. "And I kept my secret!"

"You sure did," Theresa said as she hugged her little sister back.

Michael walked over to her, "It's nothing special but I thought you might like it. Besides dad said it would be something you'd like." He handed her a box covered in wrapping paper; it was obvious that Michael had attempted to wrap the gift himself.

"Thank you," she said as she slowly opened it. Once she finally got through all the wrapping paper, she opened the box and smiled, "This is really cool." She showed everyone the t-shirt that had a picture of her, Michael, Angie, and Liam on it.

"You mean you like it," he asked, shocked.

"Yeah I do. Thanks Michael." She gave her brother a hug to which he immediately pulled away from. He extended his hand. "Oh…right," she said, shaking his hand. "Sorry."

Next was the gift from Troy and Sharpay (and family). They had given her a very fashionable pair of pants that she had been drooling over whenever she went to the mall; Gabi had given them a little 'tip' about the pants. She gave them all hugs and thanked them.

Katie had given her a belt that Theresa eyed once; even though she had seen it only once, she had fallen in love with it and Katie somehow saw that.

Jason, Kelsi, and Maddy gave her 3 CDs that Ryan told them Theresa wanted.

"My turn," Kari said as she picked up her gift. "I hope you like it," she said.

Theresa opened it and squealed, "Tickets to see the Cheetah Girls in concert!" (Ha ha, I had to throw that in there since I know how popular they are, hehe.) She hugged her, "You are the greatest friend ever!" She looked over at Katie and sighed, "I only wish…"

"Look again," Kari said.

She did so and smiled, "There's 3 of them."

"Yep; one for you, one for me, and one for Katie," Kari said as she handed Katie one of the tickets.

Now it was Katie's turn to squeal. "Thank you!" She hugged the two.

"All right," Gabi said, "Now it's our turn." She handed Theresa a card, "Happy birthday!"

Theresa opened it and read the card and then saw the little piece of paper in it. She looked rather confused when she read it, "Mom there are only numbers on this paper."

Ryan picked up the phone, "Try dialing it."

She sighed, "Okay…" She did so and then heard a faint ring come from behind Ryan's back. "What the…"

He very slowly handed her the ringing gift. "Happy birthday honey." He kissed her head.

"No way. No way, no way, no way!" She opened the gift and low and behold, there was a cell phone. Once again, she squealed.

"Way," Ryan and Gabi said together.

"Thank you!" She ran to her parents and hugged them. All of her friends had cell phones and she had been the only one without one. She didn't care, but wouldn't mind if she was ever able to get one.

"You're welcome honey," Gabi said. "It's from Liam too," she said as she looked at the toddler she was holding.

"Thank you Liam," Theresa said as she kissed her brother's forehead.

* * *

**3 Weeks Later…**

Larissa paced around in her room. "High on a hill was a lonely goatherd…" She sang to herself. Today was the final dress rehearsal for the play that was being put on in two days. The kids all had a couple of days off to simply rest before the first performance; there would be four total: two matinees and two evening performances, both on the weekend.

Kayleigh looked at herself in the mirror and smiled softly. Although David and Larissa had talked to her about the girls who were taunting her (and they did back off a bit), she was still made fun of every now and then. Yet she couldn't help but to smile when she saw the dress she got to wear; sure it was the same as four of the other kids in the cast, but this was the only dress that the character of Marta…Kayleigh's character got to wear. Her attitude towards her sister had actually changed a bit as well; because she now knew that Larissa was on her side and didn't say anything about her not getting the lead, she knew that she supported her little sister.

Sharpay walked upstairs and stood in the doorway of Larissa's room, "You sound great," she said as she walked into the room.

Larissa turned around, "I'm kind of nervous."

"That's only natural," she said. "It has happened in every other show you have been in and you've done just fine."

"I guess," she said as she looked at her script again. "What if I forget all my lines?"

"First of all it's a dress rehearsal. Second, you won't. Trust me I know these things." She kissed her head and walked out of the room and into Kayleigh's room. "How did the director want you to wear your hair," she asked when she saw Kayleigh try to put it in a ponytail, pigtails, and then just pull on it.

She turned to her mom and frowned, "I'm supposed to have braids but I don't know how to do braids!"

Sharpay nodded, "Relax honey." She motioned for Kayleigh to give her the hair bands along with the brush. After a few minutes of pulling, brushing, and waiting, she showed Kayleigh her hair by getting the hand mirror and holding it behind her so when she looked in the regular mirror she could also see the back of her head. "How's that?"

She smiled, "Thank you mommy."

"You're welcome." She smiled, "Are you about ready? You have to be there in about 20 minutes."

"I'm ready," Larissa said, rushing down the stairs with her other costumes in hand.

"Me too," Kayleigh said as she grabbed the other dresses she got to wear in the show and hurried down the stairs behind her sister.

Sharpay slowly walked down the stairs; considering the fact that she was 8 months pregnant, it was rather hard to 'hurry' anywhere. "Oh give me a break," she said to the kicking baby. "At least let me walk down the steps dear," she said as she rubbed her stomach. She took a breath after reaching the bottom stair. Once she did, she walked to the back door, "Troy I'm taking them now," she said.

Troy, who was playing basketball with Ana and Zach, nodded. "All right, I'll see you later," he said as he walked over to her and kissed her. "Be careful."

"I know," she said rolling her eyes.

"Well it's just…"

"Troy I will call if something happens," she said before he could finish. The two had been talking extensively about what they would do if they weren't with each other when she went into labor.

"That's all I ask." He gave her one more kiss goodbye.

She looked over at Ana and Zach, "And I will see you guys later as well. Have fun at camp today."

They nodded, "Bye mom," Ana said.

Sharpay could feel someone tug her arm, "Mom come on!" Kayleigh said.

"I'm coming." She made her way to the car and drove the two to camp. "I'll see you both later," she called after them.

"Bye," they called as they ran inside.

Larissa ran up the stairs to the theatre and looked at the clock. "Five minutes early," she panted.

Kayleigh, now completely out of breath, walked over to her sister, "Too…many…steps."

"Whatever," Larissa said as she walked into the theatre. She smiled when she saw David walk over to her in his costume. "Hi."

"It's the dress," he said in character.

She giggled, "That was really good." She cleared her throat, "I can make my own clothes."

He smiled, "Okay we're ready."

She nodded in agreement, "Yep."

* * *

Sharpay rubbed her lower back as she walked into the house; it had been bothering her for a few days now and she was beginning to worry; the last time she had backache during pregnancy, she lost the baby. ((See one of the last chapters of Raising kids is Hard to Do)) 

She looked around for Troy and then remembered that he had to take Ana and Zach to camp. She sat down in the family room and picked up the book she had been reading, making sure to get as comfortable as possible. She felt a slight pain and grabbed her abdomen, "Uh oh." She reached for the book her doctor had given her and scanned through it. When she couldn't find any answers, she picked up the phone and called Dr. Jacobs. "Yes may I speak to Dr. Jacobs please," Sharpay asked the secretary. "Thank you…hi this is Sharpay Bolton…Oh I'm okay except I've got this pain…Is it a contraction," she asked, beginning to worry. She felt relief come over her body, "Braxton Hicks," she asked, feeling herself tense up again. "Oh okay," she said, relaxing. "Okay I see. Thank you." She hung up, feeling slightly relieved. "Don't worry, you're not coming yet; you are just setting up to…OW." She grabbed her abdomen again and remembered that the Braxton Hicks could feel exactly like the real thing. "Okay Sharpay stop worrying," she said as she took a deep breath. She let herself relax when the pain had gone away completely. She went back to her book.

Troy walked through the door a few minutes later and saw her on the couch. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled, "I'm fine," she said as she got back to her book.

"Good." He kissed her and started to walk into the kitchen.

"I've just been having a few Braxton Hicks contractions," she said casually.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "What?" He ran over to her.

She looked up at him, "I called the doctor and she said that it's completely normal for that to happen up to a couple of weeks before going into labor."

"Are you sure?"

She sighed, "I'm sure and yes, I'm fine. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my book."

He nodded, still not completely convinced, "Okay."

She continued to read for at least another half hour with no pain whatsoever. She then decided she wanted to get something to eat since she had a very small breakfast that morning. As she walked to the fridge, she felt the baby kick again, "Yes I know you're still there," she said. "And you can rest anytime you feel like it," she said when the baby continued to kick. "Fine have it your way."

"Who are you talking to," Troy asked.

"The baby keeps kicking."

He smiled and walked over to her and placed his hand on her stomach. "Hello in there," he said as he patted her stomach. "We can't wait to meet you."

"But we will," she said, giving Troy a look. "Honestly, you're just egging the baby on," she said.

He shook his head, trying not to laugh, "Sure, whatever you say."

"Troy don't worry. I'm not going to have…" She dropped the plastic container of fruit she had in her hands. "Troy."

"I know, don't egg the baby on."

"No…Troy…"

"Honey I promise…"

"TROY!" She yelled, now rather irked.

He turned around, "Yeah?"

"My water broke."

* * *

**Hehe, both a cliffhanger and a funny ending to the chapter…but don't worry, she'll have the baby in the next chapter; my fingers hurt from typing, hehe. Anyway, what did you think? Please review! Thanks.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you for the names and for reviewing! I'm sorry I didn't update anything last night; my grandparents are visiting from Florida and we all went out for dinner and I was kind of … tired when we got back, LOL. I was gone from 9-8! **

**Okay, time to see what happens…**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 30 (I have 30 chapters already! Wow.)**_

Troy did everything he could to keep his eyes from bulging out of his head as he rushed over to her, "You water broke?"

She nodded, now in extreme pain. "Yes," she managed to get out.

"Well why didn't you say something?"

She looked at him and gathered up enough strength to punch his arm. "Shut up!"

"I'm sorry honey," he said now recalling the fact that he hadn't let her finish her sentence. "Anyway we should probably get to the hospital."

"Gee, ya think?" She rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone and tossed it to Troy. "Call everyone, tell them what's happening, and tell them that we can't pick the kids up from camp," she said as she placed her hands on her stomach and did her Lamaze breathing as best she could.

"Why can't we pick the kids up from camp?"

"TROY!"

He slapped himself, thus saving Sharpay a trip of walking over to him and doing it for him. "I'm sorry…I'm just a little…I don't know, nervous." As he called everyone, he made his way to the front closet where Sharpay's bag was for when this day came. After calling all of their family and friends, he called Dr. Jacobs and told her what was going on. She said that she would meet them at the hospital.

Sharpay watched as Troy placed the phone back on the hook and grabbed his cell phone and keys. "Um Troy…"

"It's okay, we'll be fine." He helped her out to the car.

She shook her head, "No Troy that's not it," she said as she felt another contraction coming.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." He opened the door and helped her into the car and then walked to the other side and climbed into the driver's side.

"Troy…"

He looked over at her and kissed her, "Trust me everything will be fine." He placed the key into the ignition and turned it…well he tried to turn it anyway. "What the…"

She watched in amusement for a moment before realizing that he just wasn't going to get it. "Troy, look at the key," she said.

He did so. "Oops, I grabbed your keys didn't I?"

She nodded, "Very good."

He handed them over to her, "Then where are mine," he asked.

She took her hand and placed it in his right pocket of his pants, "Right here."

"Thank you." He smiled and kissed her.

"Can we go now," she asked as they broke apart.

"Oh yeah…right," he said. He started the car and drove to the hospital.

Once there, Troy pulled up to the entrance, let Sharpay out, parked the car, and ran back over to her. "Ready?"

She nodded, "I think so."

They walked into the hospital and over to the desk. "Hi my wife is in labor; we called our doctor and let her know we were coming," Troy said to the woman behind the desk.

"Doctor's name," she asked.

"Dr. Jacobs," Sharpay said, now in a lot of pain.

She nodded, "All right I will page the maternity ward. In the meantime, I'll get someone to get you upstairs," she said as she picked up the phone.

"Thank you," Troy said.

A few minutes later an orderly came over to the two with a wheelchair and helped Sharpay into it.

As they reached the 5th floor, Sharpay sighed in relief when she saw Dr. Jacobs. "Thank goodness."

She walked over to Troy and Sharpay, "How are you doing Sharpay?"

"Just dandy," she said through a contraction.

"Well we're going to get you set up in a room and see how far along you are," she said. "How far apart are the contractions?"

She thought for a moment, "About 10 minutes I guess," she said as she felt her body relax.

"Okay," she said as she helped Sharpay on to the bed. She examined Sharpay. "All right you are 2 centimeters dilated so you have a few hours to go yet." She had an orderly bring in the ultrasound machine. "I want to see how the baby is doing," she explained when she saw Sharpay's worried face.

"All right," she said as she held Troy's hand.

Dr. Jacobs placed the jelly on Sharpay's abdomen and looked around. "Okay…"

"What is it," Troy asked, rather worried. "Is the baby okay?"

She looked over at them, "Yes the baby's fine, but it's not in the birthing position; it's kind of…diagonal," she said, pointing out the baby on the monitor.

Sharpay squeezed Troy's hand, "Is my baby going to be all right?"

"Yes; the only concern I have is whether we will need to do a cesarean…a C-Section or not. It will depend on whether the baby decides to get into the correct position," she explained. "I'd like to do another ultrasound in a couple of hours, just to check," she said. "Don't worry, this is quite normal," she said when she saw the two worried faces. "I promise I will do everything to get this baby out to see its mommy and daddy," she said with a smile. "And with that, I shall leave you two alone for now."

"Thank you," Sharpay said as she lay back on the bed. She looked over at Troy, "Better now?"

He blushed and smiled, "Yes," he said quietly.

"Troy I'm scared," she said. "What if the baby doesn't turn around?"

"Then the doctor will do a C-Section," he said as he stroked her hair. "This baby will be fine."

She nodded, hoping he was right.

* * *

**Same Time; Danforth Residence…**

Taylor hung up the phone after talking to Troy. She was still smiling from ear to ear as she ran into the family room where the rest of her family was. "Guess what," she announced.

Chad turned around, "I don't know, what?"

She smiled, "Sharpay's in labor!"

"That's great," Chad said. "But…isn't she due in a month?"

Taylor pointed to Jennifer, "Jen came a month early."

"Ew," Jennifer said. "Mom I don't want to hear about being born," she said making a face.

"Grow up," James said as he continued to look at his laptop. He was in the middle of reading an email from Katie.

"Mommy what's labor," Kellie asked as she walked over to her mom.

"It's when someone who is pregnant is ready to have the baby," she said in terms that a 7 year old would understand.

"Ew," she said. "How did Sharpay get a baby in her tummy," she asked.

Chad, James, and Jennifer all looked up at Taylor, each with an eager look on their face.

"We'll talk about that another time," she said, glaring at the rest of her family.

* * *

Ryan read over the notes that his co-worker had given him as he sat in the meeting. 

"Excuse me, Mr. Evans you have a phone call," Ryan's secretary said as she opened the door.

Ryan looked over at her, "I'll call them back," he said.

"It's your wife," she said.

His boss nodded at him, "Go ahead, we can wait," he said.

"Thank you," an annoyed Ryan said as he left the meeting room and walked into his office. He picked up the phone, "Gabi this is a really bad time…she's what…okay I'll be right there," he said as he hung up the phone. He hurried back into the room, "I'm sorry but I have to go; my sister's in the hospital."

"Well I hope she is all right," his boss said as he watched Ryan gather his things.

"She's fine; she is in labor though," he said as he left the room. "Sharpay you have horrible timing," he said to himself as he hurried out of the building and to his car.

* * *

Gabi hung up the phone and grabbed her things. She then walked into the family room and picked Liam up, "Come on sweetie." She had called her mom and asked her to pick Theresa, Michael, and Angie up at camp to which her mother agreed to right away. Yet since she had to be somewhere, she told Gabi that she would drop them off at the hospital once camp was over…which would be in an hour. Gabi drove to the hospital and walked up to the maternity ward. She smiled as she looked down at Liam, "Do you recognize this place?" 

He just stared at her, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Yeah that's what I thought," she said as she walked into the waiting area. She looked over and saw that Jason and Kelsi were already there with Katie and Maddy. "I take it you got Troy's phone call?"

"If you want to call that a phone call," Kelsi said. "It was more like an announcement over a loud speaker," she said as she rubbed her ear. Troy had kind of yelled into the phone when he called everyone.

* * *

**2 Hours Later…**

Dr. Jacobs walked back into the room and saw that Sharpay was in the middle of another contraction. She looked over at Troy who seemed to be in just as much; if not more pain that Sharpay was, considering how hard she was squeezing his hand.

"You're doing great honey," he said.

"Shut up!" She yelled through the pain. As the contraction ended, she looked at him, "I am so sorry," she said. She looked up and saw the doctor, "Hello."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to check on the baby," she said.

"Of course," Troy said.

Sharpay nodded, "Okay." She looked over at Troy as fear once again engulfed her face.

"It'll be okay," he said quietly.

As Dr. Jacobs looked at the monitor, she couldn't help but to look just a little concerned.

"What is it," Sharpay asked, seeing the concern in her face.

"Well the baby doesn't seem to have turned very much and the heart rate seems to have slowed down a bit," she said.

Sharpay could feel tears come down her face. "No, please don't let my baby die!"

"It's quite all right Sharpay," she said. "This happens a lot when babies are trying to move or are stuck…or are simply almost ready to come out," she said as she checked on Sharpay's progress. "And you're at 5 centimeters so I am sure that is the reason," she said.

Sharpay nodded and wiped her tears, even though fresh ones were falling. "Just…let the baby be all right," she said.

Troy kissed her forehead, "It will be," he said as he did his best to comfort Sharpay.

"I'm going to come back in half an hour," Dr. Jacobs said. "If the baby hasn't completely turned by then, I want to do a C-Section."

"Okay," Sharpay said quietly.

Dr. Jacobs walked over to Sharpay and took her hand, "I promise I will do everything I can to help this baby meet its mommy and daddy," she said in a reassuring voice.

Sharpay nodded, "Thank you."

Troy smiled at his wife and placed his hand on her abdomen. "Just hang in there little guy…or girl."

* * *

Larissa had changed back into her normal clothes (which she had brought with her) and waited with Kayleigh for Sharpay to come. David walked out to them and sat down beside Larissa. 

She looked over at him, "Hi."

"Hi…you um…you did really well today," he said shyly.

"Thanks…so did you." She smiled softly.

He looked over at Kayleigh, "And you did a great job too; you really have that yodeling down."

She smiled, "Thank you."

Larissa smiled at her sister and then looked up, surprised to see her grandparent's car instead of her mom's car. "That's weird."

"What is," David asked.

"My mom always picks us up."

He shrugged, "Maybe she got busy."

"Maybe…" She walked up to her grandfather, "Hi grandpa," she said as she hugged Jack.

"Hi sweetie."

"How come mommy's not here," a worried Kayleigh asked.

Cindy smiled, "She's at the hospital right now."

"Then why are you smiling," Larissa asked. "That's bad if mom is there!"

"She's having the baby honey," Jack explained.

Larissa smiled, "Really?" She looked down at Kayleigh who was now looking at her feet. "Did you hear that?"

"Uh huh," she said.

_I'll talk to you later,_ Larissa thought to herself. She turned to David, "Well I have to go."

He nodded, "Tell your mom good luck," he said as he hugged her.

"I will." She smiled at him as she got into the car.

* * *

Ana and Zach waited for Troy to come. "Where is he," Ana asked when Troy still wasn't there. 

"I don't know, but what is Grandpa Neil doing here," he asked when he saw Sharpay's father's car pull up.

Neil stepped out of the car and walked over to the two, "Well hello there," he said as he hugged them.

"Where's daddy," Ana asked in full worry mode.

"It's okay honey, he's at the hospital with your mom."

"WHAT?" Zach yelled.

"She's having the baby," Neil said.

Relief poured over their faces. "Cool," Ana said.

"It had better be a boy," Zach said as they climbed into the car.

Ana rolled her eyes. "You're so weird."

* * *

Troy was about to walk out to the waiting room when Dr. Jacobs came into the room. "Believe it or not, it's been half an hour," she said as she checked on Sharpay's progress. "7 centimeters," she said, writing that down. 

"How's the baby," Sharpay asked.

As Dr. Jacobs looked at the monitor, shock filled her face. She hurried to the phone, "Get an OR open stat. I need to do an emergency C-Section!"

Troy and Sharpay just stared at one another, "What's wrong with my baby," Sharpay asked.

"Sharpay, Troy your baby is in distress," she said. "Do you see this," she asked, pointing to something on the monitor. Both nodded. "Well that is the umbilical cord. It decided to wrap itself around your baby's neck and is depriving it of oxygen," she said quickly as two orderlies began to move Sharpay.

"No! Don't let it die," Sharpay cried.

"I won't," Dr. Jacobs said firmly. "We just have to get up there right now."

As they walked to the elevator, Troy simply told everyone to go to the OR's waiting room. He then hurried back to Sharpay's side.

Worried glances were exchanged by all as they did what Troy said.

* * *

After prepping her for the C-Section, Troy, now in the required dressing gown stood by his wife's side. "It'll be okay," he said to her. 

Dr. Jacobs began the C-Section as Troy and Sharpay prayed that their baby would be all right.

"Scissors," she ordered. (Sorry I don't know the appropriate name for the type of scissors they use when cutting the cord) Once the nurse handed them to her, Dr. Jacobs quickly and carefully cut the cord that was choking the baby. Once she finished cutting it, one of the nurses came over to take the baby to start CPR to get it to breathe. "No," she said. "I want to do this," she said as she looked at Troy and Sharpay. She carried the newborn to the table and began to do CPR. "Come on little one," she said. "Breathe for daddy…breathe for mommy."

"What's going on," a very teary-eyed Sharpay asked. Before anyone could answer, a shrill cry filled the room.

Troy smiled, "Our baby, that's what is going on."

Dr. Jacobs smiled, "Good job." She smiled and handed the baby to the nurse to get it weighed. "Okay you have a healthy…yes healthy…he wasn't deprived of that much oxygen since we caught this so early…baby boy who weighs…6 pounds and 4 ounces."

Troy smiled, wiping the tears from his eyes, "A boy? Did you say boy?"

She nodded, "I did." She handed the baby to Sharpay, "Say hello to your son," she said softly.

Sharpay just smiled at her baby as she squeezed Troy's hand. Their baby was here. And he was healthy. "Zach is going to be so happy to hear about you," she said.

* * *

**Well…um sorry that was so long, LOL. Anyway the baby's healthy! And it's a boy! And I'm not telling you the name until the next chapter. I'm evil, yes. Please review!**

**Also, 30 chapters is a lot…should I end this story soon? Or does the number of chapters really not matter in a story? Please give me your opinions! **


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you for reviewing! As usual I love hearing (or reading) what you have to say. **

**A/N: I think that I am going to end this story soon. IF (and that's a big IF) I do a sequel, I'm going to have to come up with a name for this series of stories, LOL.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 31**_

_Sharpay just smiled at her baby as she squeezed Troy's hand. Their baby was here. And he was healthy. "Zach is going to be so happy to hear about you," she said._

Troy smiled as he looked at his son. "So should I go tell everyone now," he asked Sharpay quietly.

Sharpay looked up at Troy, "Yeah that would be a good idea, considering the fact that they're probably all wondering if the baby's okay." She smiled and looked back down at the baby, "You have your daddy's eyes," she said as she placed his tiny hand into her own.

"It would be a very good idea for him to go tell everyone," Dr. Jacobs said as she walked back over to Troy and Sharpay, "Because we need to move Sharpay into recovery."

Troy nodded, "All right." He looked down at Sharpay once again, "I'll be back soon." He walked out of the room; a smile still planted on his face and walked out to the waiting room where his family and friends were all gathered.

"Daddy!" Ana ran up to Troy, thus getting the attention of everyone in the room.

He smiled and picked Ana up, "Hi sweetie." He kissed her head and looked around at everyone. "Well…"

"How's Sharpay doing," Ryan asked before Troy could say anything.

"She's just fine…and so is the baby," he said.

Sighs of relief could be heard from everyone. "I'm glad to hear that the baby's okay," Troy's mother said as she walked over to Troy and hugged him.

Larissa looked up at her dad, "So mom's going to be okay," she asked.

He nodded, "Yes mom is going to be just fine, as is your brother," he said.

Zach's face lit up, "Brother? I have a brother?"

Troy nodded, "Yep. You have a brother."

Zach smiled, "Finally! I'm not the only boy anymore!" He looked around at his three sisters who were each giving him a strange look, "I'm just glad that I won't be so outnumbered anymore," he said sitting back down.

"Congratulations," Jason said as he walked over to Troy.

"Thank you," he said as he set Ana down. "She's being moved to recovery right now so you'll be able to see her in a few minutes," he explained to everyone.

"Can we see her first," Larissa asked with hopeful eyes.

Troy nodded, "Yes."

"Troy," Dr. Jacobs said, coming out of the OR. "She's in her room now and would like for you to go in there."

He nodded, "All right; when will my family be able to see her?"

"In about 20 minutes or so," she said.

He nodded and looked at everyone, "Well I'll be back soon."

"I want to see mom," Ana said as she sat back down.

"You will honey, I promise." Troy looked over at Kayleigh who was just staring down at her feet; she had yet to crack a smile. "Kayleigh are you okay?"

She looked up and nodded, "Yes," she lied.

"Okay," he said as he kissed her head and followed Dr. Jacobs to the room in which Sharpay was. Once he was in there, he couldn't help but to notice that she seemed to be in a great deal of pain. "Shar what's the matter," he asked as he hurried over to her.

"I'm all right; it's the medicines they gave me are kind of…weird," she said. "Where is everyone else?"

"The doctor said we have to wait a little while before they can come in," he said as he stroked her hair. "I'm very proud of you by the way."

She smiled, "Thanks." She looked around, "Where is the baby? We still need to name him."

Troy sat down in the chair that was next to the bed. "Well we can put the name you liked and the name I liked together; if you think about it, it sounds pretty good," he said.

* * *

Larissa glanced over at Kayleigh who was looking down at the floor again. "What's wrong Kayleigh?" 

Kayleigh looked up at her sister, "Nothing."

Not believing her, Larissa took her sister's hand and walked her over to another part of the waiting area and sat her down. "I don't believe you…what's wrong?"

Kayleigh shook her head, "I said nothing!" She wanted to get up, but Larissa stopped her.

"Is it the baby," she asked carefully.

She looked up at Larissa with teary eyes, "Nothing's wrong," she said as she wiped her eyes. She frowned and got up and walked back over to where she had been sitting before.

Larissa sighed and followed her sister. "You're impossible," she mumbled to herself.

Gabi watched as Kayleigh sat back down. It was clear that she was trying to hide the fact that she was crying. Gabi got up and walked over to her, "Why are you so sad Kayleigh," she asked quietly.

But Kayleigh simply brought her knees up to her chest and hid her face in them. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She wasn't about to tell anyone that she hated the fact that she was no longer the youngest; since Zach was 5 minutes older than her, she really had been the youngest for 7 years. And now this baby had to go and ruin everything.

Gabi stood up and gave Kayleigh a hug; even though she didn't want to talk about what was wrong, Gabi's motherly instinct kicked in. "It'll be okay honey; you can talk to your mommy and daddy about what's bothering you," she said.

Zach nodded and placed his hand on Kayleigh's back. "I'm here too."

Ana nodded, "I am too."

Troy took that moment to come back out to the waiting room, "The doctor said that you can all come to the room," he said. All he could think about was the little bundle that had been brought back into the room while he and Sharpay were discussing the name.

"It's about time," Kelsi said with a smile as she stood up.

Troy smiled, "Yeah, yeah." He looked down at Kayleigh who had yet to move. "Come on sweetie," he said as he held out his hand for her.

She reluctantly got up and walked with Troy into the room Sharpay was in.

"Mommy!" Ana cried as she hurried over to Sharpay and hugged her. "Are you okay now?"

Sharpay smiled, "Yes honey, I'm fine." She looked up at everyone else who was in the room. "Sorry for scaring you like that," she said with a small smile. "But you know me; I'm the drama queen."

All of the adults laughed at the comment while the kids just gave each other looks of confusion.

"He's adorable," Kelsi said as she looked at the baby in Sharpay's arms. "He looks so much like both of you."

Ryan smiled at his sister and the baby in her arms, "So what's his name?"

Troy walked over to Sharpay and looked at her, "Shall we tell them?"

"I think that would be a good idea." She smiled at everyone, "Please welcome Samuel Reed Bolton to our family."

Gabi smiled, "What a perfect name," she said as she hugged her sister-in-law and best friend.

Larissa looked at the baby and smiled, "He's cute." She took his hand in hers, "And he is so tiny."

Sharpay nodded, "Most babies are honey," she said, still smiling.

Troy smiled, glad that three of his children seemed to be happy about the new addition to their family. He looked over at Kayleigh, "Honey would you like to say hello to your brother?"

She did her best to hold back her tears, "No!" And with that she ran out of the room.

"She reminds me of you when she and Zach were born," he said to Larissa. He gave her a small smile before leaving the room to find Kayleigh.

Larissa thought back and slowly started to remember the resentment she had for her brother and sister when they were born. "I was younger then," she said to her mom. "But now I'm older and I think he's really cute…can I hold him?"

Sharpay nodded, "I guess that would be all right."

Ryan helped Larissa sit in the chair and then gently took the baby from Sharpay and handed him to Larissa. "Now remember to support his head," he said softly.

"I know," she said as she looked at the baby.

* * *

Troy walked through the waiting area and looked for Kayleigh. He walked up to a nurse, "Excuse me but have you seen a little girl with light brown hair that is down to the middle of her back? She's wearing…" 

The nurse nodded, "I did see a little girl run out of a room; I think she is over there," she said pointing to the corner of the waiting area.

"Thank you," Troy said as he walked over to Kayleigh who had her head buried in her knees again. He sat down next to her, "Why did you run out like that, Kayleigh?"

No response.

"Kayleigh please answer me," he said with a firmer tone. When she still wouldn't answer, he simply picked her up and placed her in his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Honey you can tell me what's wrong," he said as he held her.

Kayleigh could no longer keep her tears inside. She let them flow freely from her eyes as she looked up at her dad, "Mommy isn't going to love me anymore," she cried.

He sighed and hugged her, "Of course she is honey; she will always love you, as will I."

"But now you won't come…to the…play," she sobbed. "You will…only be with…him."

"Honey mommy and I will do our best to come to your play," he said as he hugged her again. "We love all of you and we are both very proud of you guys; do you really think that we'd miss your and Larissa's play?"

She thought for a moment, "No."

He nodded, "That's right." He stood up with her still in his arms. "Now are you ready to go meet your baby brother?"

"Okay," she said wiping her eyes.

"That's my girl." He walked her back to Sharpay's room and smiled as he watched Ryan take the baby from Larissa and hand him back to Sharpay. "Look who's back," he said as he walked further into the room with Kayleigh.

Sharpay looked up and smiled, "Would you like to meet your brother," she asked her.

Kayleigh nodded slowly. After Troy set her down, she walked over to her mom and looked at her baby brother. She couldn't help but to crack a small smile. "He looks like me, mommy."

"Yes, he does," Sharpay said.

Katie smiled as she looked at Samuel. "He is so cute," she said to her mom. For a while now, Katie had been babysitting for the neighbors who happened to have a 14 month old boy; every since she saw him, she fell in love with babies. They were…to her anyway, the most precious beings on earth.

"Yes, he is cute," Kelsi said.

Jack and Cindy walked over to Sharpay, "He is beautiful," Cindy said. "Congratulations honey," she said to Sharpay.

Jack nodded, "He looks like you Sharpay," he said. "His eyes are yours."

Sharpay smiled, "I kind of thought they were Troy's," she said as she looked down at Samuel.

Neil (Sharpay's father) walked over to her, "I am so proud of you honey," he said as he kissed his daughter's head. "You did a good job."

"Thank you dad," she said quietly.

After another few minutes of gushing over the baby, everyone except for Troy and the kids left.

"Can we call him Sam," Zach asked.

"Or we can call him Sammy," Ana interjected.

Kayleigh smiled, "That would rhyme with my name."

Sharpay and Troy looked over at Larissa, "What do you think honey," Sharpay asked.

She shrugged, "They're good names," she said distantly. Now it was her turn to worry about her parents not being able to come to the play. They had never missed an opening night performance; sure she understood that her mom had just had a baby and that she would probably have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, but would she get out in time to see her perform?

* * *

**2 Days Later…**

Sharpay only had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days since she was doing very well as was Samuel. Dr. Jacobs was still amazed at how well both Sharpay and the baby were doing. Troy, who spent as much time as he could with Sharpay brought her and the baby home…they came home three days before the play was opening.

* * *

Larissa watched as her parents showed Samuel his new room again; she watched as they played with him; she finally decided to be a good sport and spend some time with her new baby brother as well. After a little while, she decided to go into her room and practice her lines for the play. She decided to look in the mirror so she could see her reactions and make sure everything was just right. Yet when she looked closer, she saw it. 

"No," she said as she turned around and sat on the floor.

Troy walked into the room, "Are you almost ready honey?"

She looked up at him, "I can't do the play!"

He frowned and walked over to her, "Why's that? Are you not feeling well?"

She shook her head, "You wouldn't understand!" She grabbed her costumes and walked out of the room. She turned her head, "Let's just go," she said flatly.

Kayleigh bounced out of her room, "I'm ready!" She looked at Troy, "Are you and mommy coming?"

"We're going to do our best honey," he said as he walked downstairs with her.

Sharpay, who had gotten Samuel to sleep, walked over to Larissa. "Did you just say you couldn't do the play?"

She nodded, "Look at my face mom!"

* * *

**Hehe, kind of a goofy place to end the chapter, but I thought a cute cliffhanger was needed. So what do you think of the name? I hope you like it! Thank you to everyone who contributed names! So why can't Larissa do the play? Please review! Thank you.**

**POLL: I need your opinions. Please in your review also answer this question (it'll help me, truly). Shall I keep writing this story?**

**A.) Yes, keep writing. Who cares how long it is.  
**

**B.) Write one or two more chapters and then end the story all together.**

**C.) End this one soon; write a sequel. _ ---------- _If I do that option, please see the A/N at the top of the story. Thank you!  
**


	32. Chapter 32

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed for the previous chapter. Thank you very much!**

**A/N: I'm going to keep going for at least a couple more chapters and then I will probably end the story. In other words, I'm doing choice "A" right now; I don't know if I am going to do a sequel yet.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 32**_

_Sharpay, who had gotten Samuel to sleep, walked over to Larissa. "Did you just say you couldn't do the play?"_

_She nodded, "Look at my face mom!"_

Sharpay looked at Larissa, "Honey you can still perform," she said as she glanced at the very tiny pimple on Larissa's cheek.

She shook her head, "No I can't! Everyone will laugh at me; especially David!"

"Larissa you can put make-up over it," Sharpay said as she nearly dragged her out to the car.

"Mommy can we go yet," Kayleigh called.

"Yes, we're going," she said as she managed to get Larissa out of the house and out to the car. After getting in the car, Sharpay looked over at Larissa who was examining her face in the mirror. "Larissa you look fine. When we get there, you can put make-up on it and no one will see it," she said as she began to drive to the theatre.

Larissa put the visor back up and stared out the window as they drove to the theatre. She couldn't do the play looking the way she did! David would think she was ugly or that she looked like a freak.

"Here we are," Sharpay said as she pulled up in front of the theatre.

Kayleigh jumped out of the car, "Come on Larissa," she whined.

Larissa just sat in the car and looked over at her mom, "I can't do it."

That was it; Sharpay knew she had to do something drastic to get her daughter to get out of the car. "All right, fine," she said as she found a parking spot. Once she parked the car, she got out, walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and literally pulled Larissa out of the car.

"Mom!"

"I'm not going to let you miss this play young lady," she said as she nearly dragged her to the theatre. "Come on Kayleigh," she said in an irritated tone.

Kayleigh simply followed her mom and sister into the theatre. "Larissa why don't you want to do the play," she asked.

But Larissa was too busy trying to break free from her mom. "Mom you're embarrassing me!"

Sharpay walked Larissa into the dressing room, "Now then," she said as she sat Larissa down, "Here is what we are going to do." Sharpay reached into her purse and pulled out a small make-up case; something she always carried around with her. She took out something that looked like lipstick and carefully applied it to Larissa's face. After applying it, she turned Larissa around so she could look in the mirror.

Larissa looked at her face, "Where'd it go? What did you do?"

"It's called make-up Larissa; you know the stuff you can only wear during theatrical performances," Sharpay said. "Now I really have to get back home." She hugged Kayleigh and turned to leave.

She nodded, "Um mom?"

She turned around, "Yes?"

"Thanks," Larissa said quietly.

Sharpay smiled and walked over to Larissa and kissed her head, "You're welcome honey." She gave her a quick hug and turned to leave again.

"Mom, are you and dad coming tonight," Larissa asked as she looked over at one of the other girls who was in the play. Her mom was fixing her hair for her and telling her that she would be in the front row.

"We're going to do our best to come tonight," she said.

Larissa nodded and looked in the mirror again, "Mom its back!" She pointed to the pimple on her face.

Sharpay wanted to hit her head against a wall. "Just put this on and you'll be fine," she said handing her the make-up she used earlier.

Larissa did so and saw that she had covered it up again, "It's gone," she said relieved. "Mom what about the part where David and I have to get really close; it's going to come off, isn't it," she groaned.

"Larissa you'll be fine and I'm sure it won't come off," Sharpay said, trying to remain as calm as possible. She looked over at Kayleigh who was just dancing around. "Just…be happy like your sister," she said. And with that, she left.

Kayleigh looked over at the stage door. "Larissa he's here," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh great," Larissa said to herself.

* * *

Sharpay walked through the door and sat down at the kitchen table, looking defeated. 

Troy, who was carrying Sam in his arms walked over to her, "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, "We have a daughter who is now considered to be a pre-teen; that's what's wrong." She gave him a weak smile and looked over at the baby in his arms. "He really does look like you Troy," she said as she carefully took Sam from him.

"I don't know; I kind of thought he looked like both of us."

She looked up at him, "Yeah I can see that." She smiled at Sam as she took his tiny hand in hers, "You are just too adorable, do you know that?" She looked at Troy again, "What did your parents say about tonight?"

"They said that it wouldn't be a problem for them to watch Sam while we go."

"Thank goodness…but I don't know if I'm ready to leave him with someone else yet."

Troy placed a hand on her shoulder, "Everything will be fine; they do know a thing or two about children."

She nodded, "I know but…"

"But nothing; everything will be fine," he assured her. He looked outside and saw Ana and Zach playing one-on-one. "Besides whenever they watched Ana when she was little she was always fine when we got home," he said, recalling the time when her autism had been worrying the two.

She nodded and looked down at Sam, "That's true."

* * *

**Cross Home…**

Katie screamed as she read the email from James. "I can't believe it!"

Jason hurried into the room, "What happened; are you all right?"

She looked up at her dad and smiled, "I'm better than all right; I'm great!" A smile was planted on her face.

"Then why did you scream just now?"

"James said that his parents were thinking about letting him, Jennifer, and Kellie come to Albuquerque to visit their grandparents for a week…and his parent said yes," she said, excitement in her voice.

"That's…great," he said. "When are they coming?"

She bit her lip, "At the end of the month."

He sighed, "Well you won't be seeing much of him." Jason and Kelsi had been planning to go visit Jason's family in Kansas at the same time.

"We aren't leaving until the 24th though," she said. "James is coming on the 23rd."

"And he is probably going to be spending that day with his grandparents," he said.

"Then I will see him on the 24th." She looked at him, "Please dad?"

He shook his head, "Don't you remember what we're doing on the 24th?"

"I know we're leaving that day but aren't we leaving in the evening," she asked.

"No we are leaving in the afternoon," he said. "Our flight is at 2:00 and we have to leave here at around noon."

She crossed her arms and thought for a moment, "Maybe I can get another flight and meet you there."

"No way," he said. "Do you know how much a plane ticket costs?"

"No."

"Well it costs a lot more than what you currently have in your allowance. I'm sorry Katie but I'm afraid you aren't going to be able to see him this time around."

She stood up, "Then I'll stay here and you guys go. I can see them the next time we visit."

"Katherine," he warned.

"This isn't fair!" She yelled.

Kelsi walked into the room, "What on earth is going on in here? I can hear you from the kitchen."

"Dad won't let me see James when he comes to visit his grandparents," she said angrily towards her dad.

Kelsi looked at Jason, "Why not?"

"He is coming the day before we leave to see my family," he explained to her.

She nodded, "I'm sorry Katie but…"

"This totally sucks! I never get to see him and when I do, it's only for a couple of days!" She screamed.

"That is enough young lady," Jason said.

Kelsi looked at Jason, "Why don't you let me talk to her," she said quietly.

* * *

**Theatre…**

After putting on her dress, Larissa looked in the mirror once more just to make sure the pimple was completely covered up. She smiled when she saw that it was. As she made her way out of the dressing room, she saw David practicing his lines.

"Sounds good," she said as she walked over to him.

He looked at her and blushed, "Thanks." He paused, "You look really pretty," he said as he admired her dress and hair.

"Thank you…so do you…I mean you look handsome." Now it was her turn to blush.

Kayleigh rushed over to her sister, "I'm scared," she whimpered.

"Scared of what," Larissa asked.

"Going out there," she said as she pointed to the stage. "What if I screw up?"

"No one will notice," David said. "As long as you just keep going, they won't notice and they'll just think it's a part of the play."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Yes; it's happened to me before and I just kept going and everything was fine."

Larissa smiled, "Yeah you'll do just fine."

"What if mom and dad don't come?"

"They will," Larissa said. "Besides grandma and grandpa said they were going to watch Sam. They will come."

She nodded, "Okay."

David looked over at Larissa, "You have something on your face," he said as he wiped the residue off. He looked at his fingers and saw that he had accidentally wiped some of the make-up off. "Oh…sorry," he said blushing again.

She rushed to a mirror and looked at her face, "I look horrible!"

David placed a hand on her shoulder, "I think you look really pretty."

The director tapped Larissa on the back, "Places," she said quietly.

* * *

"Thank you so much for coming," Sharpay said to Cindy as she let her and Jack into the house. 

"It's no problem," she said. "Besides we will see Larissa and Kayleigh perform tomorrow evening."

Sharpay nodded, "And they are very excited about that."

Ana walked into the room, "Mom something is wrong with Sam."

Sharpay's smile fell as she rushed over to the baby. He was in his carrier crying. "What's the matter honey," she asked as she picked him up. As she did, he stopped crying.

Troy breathed a sigh of relief as he watched this play out. "I think he just wanted to be held," he explained to Ana.

"Oh…sorry mom," she said.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about honey; you didn't know." She kissed the top of her head.

Troy looked at his watch, "Okay if we don't go now we're going to miss the play."

"All right; come on Zach," Sharpay called upstairs.

He came downstairs holding the two sets of flowers that his parents bought earlier that day. "You forgot these upstairs," he said.

"Thank you," Troy said as he took them. "What would we do without you two?"

Ana and Zach just smiled at each other and hugged their grandparents before heading out to the car.

Once they found a parking spot, the four walked into the theatre and found seats that were very close to the front and in the center.

"We made it," Troy said to Sharpay.

"Thank goodness," she said breathing a sigh of relief.

* * *

Larissa stood frozen in place, "I can't go out there," she said, stage fright suddenly getting the best of her. 

"Yes you can," David said. "You'll do great." He hugged her and looked at her and smiled. "I know you'll do a great job."

* * *

**Yes I know the end of the chapter kind of sounds like the dialogue between Gabi and Troy right before "Breaking Free," but oh well! Anyway I hope you liked this chapter. I promise I will add Ryan and Gabi in the next chapter. Please review and suggestions are welcome! Thanks.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Thank you for all the reviews! All right so here is chapter 33. Enjoy.**

**A/N: Since I'm a Ryella fan, I'm putting some Ryella fluff in this chapter…unlike in my other story "Going Home" where the exact opposite seems to be happening, hehe.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 33**_

_Larissa stood frozen in place, "I can't go out there," she said, stage fright suddenly getting the best of her. _

"_Yes you can," David said. "You'll do great." He hugged her and looked at her and smiled. "I know you'll do a great job."_

She smiled softly, "Thanks."

The director walked over to her, "Larissa come on," she said, motioning for her to get on stage.

"I'm coming," she said as she smiled at David. "Thanks again." She walked out the door and out to the stage. When she got there, she stared out into the audience and smiled when she saw her parents there. _They made it,_ she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and when the music cue came, she began to sing.

Troy took Sharpay's hand and smiled, "She looks great out there."

She nodded in agreement, "And her face looks fine too," she said, proud of her work. The only thing on Larissa's face (other than make-up) was a smile she had as she sang the opening song of the show.

* * *

**Cross Home…**

Kelsi waited for Jason to exit the room before she turned to Katie. "Honey I know how much you want to stay here and spend time with James. And I know how much you also want to see your relatives," she said raising an eyebrow.

Katie nodded slowly, "I do want to see them…but it's not fair," she said as she wiped her eyes.

"I know it's not but that's how life is sometimes," Kelsi said.

"Yeah well life really sucks."

"Katie."

"Sorry."

Kelsi thought for a moment, "How long is James going to be in town for?"

"I think he said that they're going back home on the 1st or something like that," she said as she tried to recall what he had written in his email to her.

"Okay well we are coming home on the 30th and there are 31 days in July," Kelsi said. "Maybe you two can do something on the 31st."

"One day?"

"It's either that or spending no time at all with him; take your pick."

Katie sighed, "Well one day is better than nothing…"

"There you go," Kelsi said as she rubbed her back. "Now please do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Come downstairs and make peace with your father; the last thing this house needs is for you to hold a grudge." Other than packing, Katie was famous for holding grudges when she was angry.

She nodded, "Okay."

* * *

**Evans Home…**

Gabi finished writing the numbers down, "All right this is where your dad and I will be tonight…but I would rather you call one of our cell phones."

Theresa nodded and took the list, "Mom you have given me these numbers on six different pieces of paper already," she said as she put her hand in her pocket and took out several pieces of paper, each one with the same thing scribbled on it.

Gabi stifled a laugh, "I'm sorry honey it's just…well you have never babysat your brothers and sister solo before; normally Kari is here with you."

"I know but I'll be fine, I promise. And I'll call if anything happens."

Ryan walked into the room as he finished fixing his tie, "See Gabi? I told you that there wasn't anything to worry about."

She sighed, "I know, but what if there's a storm or someone gets hurt or…"

"Then I will get everyone, go down to the basement, and take cover. If someone gets hurt, I'll call you and if it's really bad, I'll also call 911," Theresa finished for her rather overprotective mom. "I know what I'm doing."

Liam then ran into the room with his sippy cup in his hand. He looked as though he was about to cry. "No mowe," he said.

"I'll get you some more juice," Theresa said as she picked her little brother up and carried him downstairs.

Ryan looked at Gabi, "Now I hate to say I told you so, but…"

"Then don't say it," she warned. She couldn't help but to smile. "I am glad that she is doing this though…when did we last go out," she asked as she walked back into her and Ryan's room to finish putting on her make-up.

"Let's just say that it was before Theresa's birthday," he said simply.

She looked at him, "That long?"

He nodded, "Yep."

She shook her head and put the finishing touches of her make-up on. "Okay I'm all set."

"And you look gorgeous," he said coming up from behind her. He placed his arms around her, "And there is nothing to worry about okay?"

As if fate had it in for them, they suddenly heard a loud THUMP come from Michael's room.

"Nothing to worry about, huh," Gabi said as she rushed into her son's room.

Michael smiled, "Found it," he said to himself.

"Are you okay honey," Gabi asked as she ran to his side.

He made a face, "I'm fine…I finally found my baseball card collection though!" He smiled as he opened the book and turned to the last page of cards and placed the card he had recently obtained into the book. "There."

"Then what was that loud noise we just heard," Ryan asked.

"I had to put my art book somewhere," he said pointing to the book that was now lying on the floor.

Gabi breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the heavy book which contained all of Michael's paintings and drawings. Even though he was only 8 ½, he had a true eye for art and was quite good.

"See everything's fine," Ryan said as he took the book from Gabi and placed it on Michael's desk.

She nodded, "Okay, okay." She gave Michael a quick kiss on the head, "We'll be home…late so please be good for your sister and this time no dressing Angie up as a mummy."

"Aw man," he said.

"Do you know how much toilet paper you used up," Gabi asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"He won't do it again," Ryan said as he gave Michael a look of 'don't even think about it.' Ryan then walked downstairs, Gabi close behind. He smiled when he saw Theresa giving Liam his sippy cup which was now filled with apple juice.

Theresa looked up and saw her parents, "See I'm fine." She looked at the counter and saw her dad's keys. She picked them up and tossed them to him. "Now go before they take your reservation away."

Ryan smiled as he kissed her head, "Just call if you need anything okay?"

"I know."

"Be good for your sister," Gabi said as she picked Liam up and kissed his forehead. She didn't want to put him down when he started to whimper. "Maybe we shouldn't go…"

"He'll be fine mom," Theresa said as she took her brother from her mother's grasp. "He always does this before you and dad leave."

Gabi nodded and walked into the family room where Angie was watching a movie. "We're going now honey; be good for your sister."

She looked up, "Okay…bye mommy." She turned her attention back to the TV.

After another minute of making sure Theresa had everything, Ryan and Gabi left for the restaurant.

"Are you sure she's going to be okay watching the three of them by herself," Gabi asked as Ryan drove down the street.

He sighed, "Yes, she'll be just fine. She's responsible and she knows when to call."

"You're right; I'm worrying about nothing."

"Exactly."

"You weren't supposed to agree with me on that!"

"Gabi…"

"Don't 'Gabi' me. For all we know, there could be a fire or an earthquake or…"

Ryan stopped the car and looked over at his wife, "Do you want to forget tonight?"

She took a deep breath and looked at him, "I'm sorry…I do want to go out tonight," she said giving him a kiss.

"Good," he said as he started to drive again.

* * *

Kayleigh couldn't stop smiling as she walked off the stage after the end of act one. Things had gone perfectly so far; she remembered her lines, her singing cues, and the right emotions to express at the right times. 

Larissa walked over to her sister, "See I told you things would be just fine."

She smiled, "I remembered everything!"

"So I noticed."

"Do you think mommy and daddy will let me come here next year," she asked as she sat down next to her sister.

"Probably," Larissa said as she picked up her brush and fixed her hair. She looked in the mirror and smiled when she saw David standing in the doorway. She got up and walked over to him, "You did really well."

"Thanks…so did you…are you ready for our big moment," he asked, referring to their song which included a kiss.

She took a deep breath, "Yes."

"Good…so am I." He looked over at Kayleigh, "You have the best voice of all the kids."

Kayleigh blushed, "Thank you." She secretly wished he had a brother who was 4 years younger and exactly like him. Unfortunately he only had a younger sister who was 5 years old.

"All right everyone," the director said as she walked into the dressing room. "Please get into your places for act two." She then looked at Larissa and David, "And the audience really seems to like the two of you," she said before walking away.

Larissa and David exchanged a smile before getting ready for the second half of the show.

* * *

Troy watched as Sharpay hung up the cell phone. "And how is he doing?" 

She smiled, "He's fine; your mom said that he woke up a couple of times, but being only a few days old…well that's kind of normal. Other than that, everything's fine."

"Why couldn't I stay with grandma and grandpa too," Zach whined.

"Because unlike your brother, you are old enough to see plays," Troy said.

"But it's so…boring!"

"Zachary."

He crossed his arms and frowned.

Ana turned to her parents, "I think Kayleigh and Larissa are really good."

"I'm glad you think so," Sharpay said as she kissed the top of her head. "Even if you do think it's boring."

Ana looked over at her brother, "Don't you want to go to the game next Saturday," she asked her brother. Troy said they would be able to go to the upcoming baseball game (even though they played basketball, they loved baseball as well) the following weekend so long as they were on their best behavior.

He turned to her, "Man this stinks." He looked over at Sharpay, "Okay the play isn't that bad…I'm just not a musical fan."

"That's better," she said, eyeing her daughter.

Ana simply shrugged and pretended she had no idea what made him change his mind.

* * *

Ryan parked the car, got out, and opened the door for Gabi. He extended his hand out to her so he could help her out of the car. 

"Thank you," she said as she took his hand.

He smiled, "You're welcome." Once she was out of the car, he leaned in and kissed her. "I love you; you do know that right?"

"Let me think…"

"Gabi!"

She giggled, "I was joking Ryan, sheesh." She poked him playfully as they walked into the restaurant.

Once they were seated and had ordered their dinner, Ryan took her hand. "I am about to make myself feel like I'm in high school again, but I got you something."

She smiled, "Really?"

"Yes." He took a small box out of his pocket and looked at it for a moment before handing it to her.

"Thank you," she said, now also feeling like she was in high school again. She opened the box and gasped. "Ryan how did you…where did you…" She wiped the tear that began to stream down her face. For in that box was a locket that had been given to her by her grandmother only months before she passed away. Inside the locket was a picture of her grandparents; even though her mom had raised her, Gabi's grandparents had always meant the world to her. A few years ago, however, the locket had fallen off due to the chain being so old and the locket had broken in two. She had been heartbroken.

Ryan just smiled, "You won't believe what the jewelers can do nowadays," he said.

"I love it." She could feel a few more tears run down her face as she leaned in to kiss him.

"I had a feeling you would," he said quietly.

* * *

This was it; this was the moment that Larissa had been preparing for ever since she found out that she had won the role of Maria. The song "An Ordinary Couple" was about to begin. As Larissa sang, she couldn't help but to stare into David's big beautiful brown eyes. (Try saying that 5 times fast!) It was that gaze that kept her from forgetting any of the words. 

When it was David's turn to sing, he looked at Larissa and concentrated solely on her smile. It was her smile that had won him over and made him want to ask her out and for her to become his girlfriend. Like Larissa, David's singing stayed strong as he looked at that smile.

As the song finished, the two slowly leaned in and kissed one another…only this kiss, even though it was quick, was not only acting; this kiss was real.

"They are really good," the director murmured to herself as she watched the two from her seat.

* * *

**Aw, so sweet…love at age 11…or the closest thing to it when you're 11, hehe. So how do you think Theresa is doing at home? Anyway I hope you liked the chapter and yes, I'll put more Katie in it soon. Please review and suggestions are welcome! Thanks.**


	34. Chapter 34

**All right, I think I may have come over it. Yes I know that was rather fast. **

**A/N: Thank you dancerlittle for the idea! GoodCharlotte615 you also helped so thank you as well!**

**P.S. – This is NOT the last chapter. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 34**_

**That Night…**

Larissa bounced out of the dressing room, completely forgetting that she had a pimple at all. The show had gone off without a hitch and she couldn't be any happier. As she and Kayleigh (who was right behind her) made their way into the gathering area where their parents were, Larissa stopped.

"Kayleigh you go ahead."

Kayleigh looked at what Larissa was looking at and rolled her eyes. "But…"

"Don't worry I'll be there in a minute," she said growing impatient.

She nodded, "Okay." Kayleigh made her way through the crowds of people.

Larissa, who had spotted David's little sister Rachel, made her way over to where the little girl was, "Hi there."

Rachel looked up at Larissa in tears, "I can't find my mommy and daddy!"

"Should we go look for them together," she asked, remembering how kind David had always been to Kayleigh. It couldn't hurt to return the favor.

She nodded, "Okay," she said tearfully. She allowed Larissa to take her hand as they walked through the crowd.

"…I'm sure she's somewhere," Jacob, David's father said.

"I know, but where…"

"Mommy!" Rachel ran into her mom's arms.

"Oh honey you're okay," her mother exclaimed as she picked the little girl up and hugged her. She looked over at Larissa, "Thank you so much Larissa."

"You're welcome," she said shyly.

David walked over to her and smiled, "My mom was about to have a mental breakdown even though Rachel always wanders away," he explained.

"It was no problem," she said.

He smiled and hugged her, "You did a great job by the way."

"Thanks…so did you," Larissa said.

David leaned forward and gave Larissa a hug.

Larissa of course returned the hug and smiled as she did. What she did not notice was that Kayleigh had found their parents and dragged them to the other side of the room where Larissa was.

"Ahem," Troy said, causing Larissa to jump in the air and turn around. "Is there any chance that we could possibly hug the star," he asked with a smile.

Larissa blushed and hugged her dad, "Sorry dad, I…"

He shook his head, "Don't worry about it honey. You did such a fantastic job tonight; your mom and I are quite proud of you."

Sharpay nodded and made her way over to Larissa, "Congratulations honey!" She hugged and kissed Larissa on the head. "You were wonderful."

"Thanks mom," she said.

Troy looked at David who seemed to be quite uncomfortable. "Great job David," Troy said.

"Thank you," he said blushing. He said goodbye to Larissa (and made sure to give her one final hug) and left with his sister and parents.

"Um nice job," Ana said to her sisters.

"Thanks," Larissa said. She knew that this was the last place that Ana and Zach wanted to be.

Zach smiled at Kayleigh, "Even though you looked funny in the uniform…"

"Hey!"

"You still did a good job," he said to Kayleigh. He looked at Larissa, "You were good too."

She smiled, "Thank you Zach." She hugged him.

"Ew," he muttered as he wriggled out of the hug.

* * *

Ryan helped Gabi out of the car and opened the door to the house for her. 

"Thanks for one of the best evenings ever," Gabi said, feeling like she was in middle school again.

He smiled, "And you know what," he asked as they walked into the quiet house.

"What?"

"Everything appears to be fine."

She nodded, "I guess you were right about her," Gabi said as she walked upstairs. She saw a light shining through the bottom of Theresa's door. She decided to knock before going in.

"Come in," Theresa said from the other side.

Gabi walked into the room, "Hi honey." She kissed her head and sat down at the end of the bed.

Theresa looked up, "Hi."

"How did everything go tonight?"

She shrugged, "Normal stuff really. Michael wanted to turn Angie into some sort of mummy, but I stopped him before he could get the second role of toilet paper on her."

"Wonderful," Gabi murmured. "And how was Liam?"

"After you left he stopped crying and played with some toy for a while," she said with a yawn. "They were all fine mom."

"And I knew they would be," Ryan said from the doorway. He walked into the room, "Thank you for watching them honey." He smiled and kissed her head.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later…**

As they left Jason's sister's house, Katie raced out to the rental car and got in. They were going home today which meant it would only be 24 more hours until she would get to see James.

"Are you trying out for track in high school," Kelsi asked as she got into the car and looked at Katie.

"Very funny mom," she said sarcastically.

Jason said one more goodbye to his sister before getting Maddy into the car. He then walked around to the other side and got in as well. "Ready to go home," he asked as he started the car and began to drive to the airport.

"Yes," Katie said a smile on her face.

Maddy shook her head, "I don't want to fly again."

"You'll be fine honey," Kelsi said.

"Yeah just don't sit by me," Katie said as she looked out the window and tried to get the image of the plane ride to Kansas out of her head. Maddy had gotten a little airsick which naturally grossed Katie out.

"Katherine!"

"Sorry mom, but I would rather not get pu…"

"Okay that's enough," Jason said. The rest of the ride to the airport was silent.

* * *

Katie was very thankful that she didn't have to sit by her sister on the plane. She was sitting next to her dad on one side and Kelsi was sitting with the puker – Maddy across from them. 

That night, all Katie could do was think about seeing James again. She looked at the clock by her bed: 4:30. "Fall asleep," she said to herself. Before she knew it, she could feel something burning her eyes. She opened them only to see that the sun had risen. She looked at the clock again: 9:00. Well 4 ½ hours of sleep was better than none at all. She jumped out of bed and hurried to her closet. She had to wear something nice for seeing James today. She finally decided on denim shorts that had the cut off look to them and her favorite green V neck t-shirt. The neckline didn't go down too far…but was also not all the way up to her neck. She fixed her hair so that it was in a half ponytail. After she was finally satisfied with what she was wearing, she put on her black sandals and walked downstairs.

Jason heard someone come into the kitchen. He looked over his shoulders and smiled, "You're up early today."

She shrugged, "I just want to look nice."

Kelsi smiled, "Well it seems to have worked. You look very nice honey."

"Thanks mom."

"So what time are you meeting James today," Jason asked.

"Not soon enough," she muttered to herself. She looked up, "Um we're meeting for lunch so I guess around 11:00 or so. He said he'd call right before leaving."

"Is his grandmother taking him here and picking you up or are we taking you to…wherever it is you're meeting him?"

She bit her lip, "Actually he said that he was walking here…his grandma doesn't live that far away. After he gets here, we're just going to walk to the place."

Jason nodded, "I just hope you put on some good walking shoes." They didn't exactly live right outside of town. It was at least a good mile before there was a pharmacy.

"I did."

Two hours later, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Katie raced down the stairs and composed herself before opening the door. She took a deep breath as she opened it. When she did, a smile came across her face, "Hi."

James smiled, "Hi…you look great," he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks…so do you," she said. She turned around, "I'm going mom," she called.

Kelsi walked to the door, "Hello James," she said smiling.

"Hello Mrs. Cross," he said.

Kelsi looked at Katie, "Have a nice time honey. Call when you guys are ready to come home; either your dad or I can come pick you up."

She nodded, "Okay mom." She walked outside and closed the door behind her and held James's hand as they began their walk.

* * *

Sharpay picked Sam up from his crib and carried him to the rocking chair in the room. "It's just you and me for a while," she said to the infant. He was getting bigger everyday and was looking like both Troy and Sharpay; he had Troy's hair and nose and Sharpay's eyes and mouth. "Your daddy is taking your brother and sisters to a movie so it's just us," she said as she started to nurse him. 

"We can't see a girl's movie," Zach whined in the car.

"Well we can't see a movie where a million people die," Kayleigh shot back.

Troy stopped at the light and looked back at his two bickering children, "Would you rather go home right now?"

"No," they said in unison.

"They I highly suggest you stop…now."

"I want to see that pirate movie," Zach said, referring to "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest." (A/N: Yes I know this story is set in the future, but I have no clue what movies will be playing then, LOL.)

Larissa smiled, "Anything with Johnny Depp," she said with a sigh.

"Ew you already have a boyfriend," Ana said.

Larissa glared at her, "Johnny Depp is not my boyfriend…but it would be nice if he was…"

Zach made a face, "Yuck."

Troy tried his best not to laugh but found it to be quite difficult. "While I'm glad to see you agree on that movie, it's rated PG-13."

Ana shrugged, "So?"

"So from what I have heard, there are some…violent and possibly scary parts that might give you nightmares," he said particularly to Ana.

"Then what movie can we see," Larissa groaned.

"How about 'Cars'," Troy suggested.

There was a general agreement to that movie.

Larissa tied her shoe and the sat up. She looked out the passenger side window, "Dad that truck is kind of close…"

Before anyone could say anything else, they felt the truck which had turned too quickly on to the road hit them at full-force.

* * *

Troy slowly opened his eyes. He could feel the pain seething through him as he heard several sets of sirens around them.

"This one's awake," one of the paramedics said as he hurried over to Troy. "Sir, where does it hurt?"

"My…kids…where are my kids," he asked hoarsely. He didn't care about how he was doing; he wanted to know how the four children who were in the car with him were.

"Well three of your children are going to be all right," he said as he examined Troy.

He tried to keep his composure but found that to be impossible. "What about the other one? Who is hurt?"

* * *

Sharpay placed Sam back in his crib and began to walk downstairs when she felt a very strange vibe. "Something isn't right."

* * *

**Uh-oh! Haha I still have the cliffhangers in me. ;-) Who is okay and who isn't? Also, I hope you liked Katie and James. I know there wasn't a lot, but I'll put more of them in the next chapter. Please review and suggestions are welcome. Thanks!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews. I truly appreciate them.**

**A/N: This is completely random, but I had emailed a friend from a Gilbert and Sullivan Community theatre group I used to belong to a few days ago. I got a reply today and heard that one of the members who I knew VERY well passed away last month from Cancer. I wasn't even aware that he was sick; so I am really, really sad right now. So if this chapter totally sucks, that is why. But writing somehow makes me feel better, so I just wanted to write. Anyway, that's the random A/N.**

**A/N #2: Drama Alert.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 35 (The title for this story is what I'm trying to do right now.)**_

"_Well three of your children are going to be all right," he said as he examined Troy._

_He tried to keep his composure but found that to be impossible. "What about the other one? Who is hurt?"_

_Sharpay placed Sam back in his crib and began to walk downstairs when she felt a very strange vibe. "Something isn't right."_

Sharpay paced back and forth in the upstairs hallway, trying to figure out what exactly was wrong. She knew that something wasn't in place, but what was it? Something had happened to someone…but who was it?

* * *

Troy attempted to look around to see his children. Unfortunately he was currently being examined by a few paramedics and was unable to see anyone else. He saw someone bandaging someone's wrist, another person running a hand through someone's hair and examining him…or her, and two paramedics with two others. But which child was which? He looked up at the EMT who was examining him. 

"Please you have to tell me which one of my children is in critical condition…or worse," he managed to say as a few tears fell from his eyes. He then remembered exactly what happened; it was as if it was all in slow motion. Larissa said something about a truck driving awfully close to them. As Troy looked over to where Larissa was pointing, they were hit. "Who was it," he asked himself aloud. "Who got hurt," he demanded.

"Sir we have to get you along with your children to the hospital," was the answer the EMT gave him.

Before Troy could object, he could feel himself being lifted into the ambulance. There was no one except for the EMT and someone else in there with him. The kids had to be in one of the other ambulances that arrived. "Please let them be all right," he said to no one in particular.

* * *

Unable to determine what had happened, Sharpay decided that she might as well call Troy to make sure that everything was all right. "I just need to make sure," she said as she walked to the phone in her and Troy's bedroom. Just as she was about to pick it up, however, it rang causing her to jump back. She placed her hand on her heart and kept from making any loud noise since Sam was asleep in the next room. "Oh no," she said slowly as she picked it up. The strange vibe was getting stronger. "Hello," she answered cautiously. 

"Hello is this Mrs. Sharpay Bolton," a woman on the other end asked.

"Yes, this is she," she said as she bit her nails. "Who's calling please?"

"This is Albuquerque General Hospital ma'am," she said.

Sharpay's eyes widened as she sat down on the bed. Something _had _happened. "Y-Yes," she said quietly.

The woman paused before continuing, "Your husband…and four children were in a car accident about 20 minutes ago and have only just arrived at the hospital," she said carefully.

Sharpay could feel her body tense up and her eyes tear up. "Oh dear G-d," she whispered. "I'll be right there," she said as she hung up. She quickly picked the phone up again but waited a few seconds before dialing; her hands had begun to shake from her fears. She finally gathered up enough strength to dial the number.

Ryan walked to the phone, "Hello?"

"They were in an accident," she cried.

Ryan looked at the phone and then placed it back to his ear. "Sharpay? Is that you? Who was in an accident?"

"Troy…and…kids…movie…" Was all she was able to get out.

It was enough for Ryan though. "We'll be right there," he said.

Sharpay pushed the off button and then pushed the on button again. But she couldn't call anyone. She was now in a panicked state and knew that she needed to get to the hospital as fast as she could. She wiped her eyes and walked into Sam's room, picked up the sleeping infant, placed him in his carrier and slowly walked downstairs. She grabbed her keys and purse and hurried into the garage. She placed Sam in the car and then got in herself. "Please let them be okay," she said as she started the car and backed out of the driveway and drove to the hospital.

* * *

Ryan knew that his sister would be unable to call anyone else. He called their father, Troy's parents, and Jason and Kelsi and told them what had happened and to meet him at the hospital. He then got up and told Gabi what had happened. Luckily her mother was at the house and told the two that she would watch the kids while Ryan and Gabi went to the hospital.

* * *

She would never know how she did it, but somehow, Sharpay had managed to get to the hospital safely. She took Sam out of the car and hurried into the ER. "My…husband…car accident," she said completely out of breath. 

"What's the name please," the woman asked.

"B-Bolton."

She nodded and stood up, "This way please." She led Sharpay to a curtained off area. Once they got there, the woman opened the curtain.

Sharpay felt a sigh of relief surge through her body when she saw a very conscious Troy in the bed; he was sitting up in the bed, but also leaning back. "Troy," she said as tears ran down her face. She placed a still sleeping Sam on the chair that was by the bed and ran to her husband and embraced him.

Troy felt the tears run down his cheeks as well as he hugged Sharpay. "I'm sorry," he said through the tears.

"No," she said. "This isn't your fault." She continued to hold him. After a few moments, they pulled apart. "Where are the kids? How are they?"

He took a shaky breath, "Kayleigh and Zach are in the next curtain area over…they are okay…they both have some bruises and scratches," he said, trying to remember exactly what the doctor had told him.

She nodded, "Thank goodness…that they're okay," she said. "And Ana?"

"She's got a concussion," he said, feeling more tears form. "The doctor said it wasn't too severe but she's also got a broken arm."

Sharpay once again nodded. "And Larissa," she asked quietly as the strange vibe came back.

"Sh-she was in the front seat when it happened," he said as his voice began to break. "They don't…I…" But he couldn't get anymore than that out. He felt his body begin to shake as he started to cry once again.

Sharpay held him, also crying. Why was Larissa always hurt? Why did she have to be hit by that car a few years ago? Why did she have to be so hurt from this accident…why did any of them have to be hurt? "Where is she," she finally managed to ask.

"The doctor said something about an x-ray," he said quietly.

She nodded and kissed his head, "And what about you? How are you doing?" She looked at him and could see that he had several cuts and bruises.

"I'm okay…but I shouldn't be," he said through the flowing tears.

"Don't say that," she said as she held him.

"The truck driver…he wasn't watching where he was going and…and…"

"Shh," she said as she kissed his forehead.

He nodded, "Go check on the others for me?"

"Of course." She got up and was about to take Sam with her when she let go of the carrier. "Want some company?"

He gave her a weak smile, "I would."

"All right then," she said as she kissed him again. She walked out of the curtain area and into the next where she saw a badly bruised Kayleigh and Zach lying in bed. A doctor was taking Kayleigh's blood pressure. "Kayleigh? Zach?"

Zach looked up, "Mommy," he said as he reached out for her.

Sharpay hurried over to him, "Thank goodness you're all right," she said as she hugged him. "I'm so sorry sweetie."

"I'm okay mommy," he said trying to be brave.

Kayleigh looked over at her mom, "Mommy," she cried as the doctor finished checking her blood pressure.

"Hi honey," Sharpay said as she walked over to Kayleigh and scooped her into her arms. "How are you doing?"

"My head hurts," she said as she wiped her eyes.

Sharpay just nodded and continued to hug her little girl, glad that she was going to be okay. "Daddy's okay too," she said.

Zach nodded, "He said he was when we got here."

Sharpay gave him a small smile and kissed his forehead again. "I'm going to go see Ana but I'll be back okay?"

The two nodded.

Sharpay squeezed their hands once more before heading off to the area where Ana was. She opened the curtain and saw her 9 year old lying in bed with cast and sling around her left arm. "Ana." She hurried over to her.

Ana looked up and smiled when she saw her mom. "Mommy," she said hoarsely. She managed to hug her with her right arm. "Mommy I was so scared," she said as she began to cry.

"I know you were," Sharpay said as she hugged her. She looked at her cast and smiled weakly, "At least you got your favorite color, right?"

Ana looked down at her green cast and nodded, "I told them it was my favorite color."

"I'm sure you did."

After a few moments of just holding Ana, Sharpay decided that she needed to find out what exactly happened to Larissa. She got up and went to find the doctor.

* * *

**Katie and James…**

Right as the two sat down at the picnic bench, Katie's cell phone rang. She groaned and took it out of her pocket. She rolled her eyes when she saw that it was her parents. "They're probably making sure that we're not doing anything…well you know," she said as she opened the phone.

James chuckled, "My parents like to do that to me too."

She chuckled as well. She then cleared her throat, "Hello?" Her eyes went wide, "WHAT? Are they okay?" She nodded, "Okay I will…I'll be fine dad…bye." She hung up the phone and looked at James who was now concerned.

"What happened?"

"My Uncle Troy…well sort of uncle was in a car accident…his kids were too," she said quietly.

He sighed and placed his hands on hers, "I'm sorry Kate," he said as he walked over to the other side of the bench and placed an arm around her.

"My dad said that he and my mom were going to the hospital…and that I should just keep enjoying today with you," she said with a small smile.

"Are you sure? Because we can…"

She nodded, "I'm sure…besides my dad can call and update me anytime," she said waving the cell phone in her hand. She took a deep breath, "Anyway…"

He smiled, glad that she wanted to stay, but also a bit concerned. "So…where were we?"

"Um…you were telling me about that nutty girl who was stalking you because of your dad…since he used to play in the NBA and all," she said.

He nodded, "Oh yes…Caroline." He chuckled as he continued to tell Katie about her.

(A/N: Sorry, I'll have more of them next chapter)

* * *

**Hospital…**

Sharpay walked to a nurse, "Excuse me I'm trying to find out how my daughter…Larissa Bolton is doing," she said.

The woman, who appeared to be a nurse nodded, "I see; and your relation to her?"

"I'm her mother," she said defensively.

She nodded again, "I'm sorry ma'am I didn't…I mean…"

"Whatever. How is she doing?"

"I'll have to get the doctor to answer that question," she said.

"Well…what room is she in," she asked stopping the nurse.

"She's in here," she said as she led her to a room.

Sharpay could hear machines beeping. She nearly lost her balance when she saw Larissa. "My baby," she said, tears welling up in her eyes as she hurried over to Larissa. "Honey can you hear me? Its mommy sweetie," she said, begging her daughter to wake up.

"I'm afraid she isn't going to wake up…not just yet," a man said from the doorway scaring Sharpay half to death.

"Who are you?"

"Dr. Hammond," he said. "I've been taking care of your husband and other children today as well."

Sharpay nodded as she wiped her eyes. "What's wrong with Larissa," she asked, almost regretting those words.

He sighed, "Well in addition to a severe concussion, she also has, as you can see a broken leg and 3 broken ribs."

She nodded, trying to take all this in. "Why isn't she awake?"

"She had passed out from the concussion in the accident, ma'am. The paramedics found her still in the car; the seatbelt saved her life, as did the airbag, but she bumped her head on the ceiling; thus giving her the concussion. The paramedics said she was unconscious when they found her in the car," he explained.

Sharpay nodded and turned back to Larissa, "Is there anything else?"

He shook his head, "She was lucky; but because she has a severe concussion, it may take several days or even weeks for her to fully recover…" He continued to explain to Sharpay what the lingering symptoms could be.

* * *

After spending a fair amount of time with Larissa, Sharpay kissed her head and walked out to the waiting room. She was surprised when she saw her father, Troy's parents, and Kelsi and Jason with Ryan and Gabi. She was sure she had only called Ryan. 

Kelsi, who was talking to Gabi about something looked up, "Sharpay!" She got up and hurried over to her and wrapped her arms around her friend. "What happened; I mean from the accident? Are they okay?"

Sharpay took a sharp breath and gently pulled away from Kelsi and sat down in a chair as she felt the tears begin to start again. "Troy's okay…Zach and Kayleigh are okay…Ana's got a minor concussion and a broken arm…but she's okay."

Ryan stood up and walked over to his sister and sat down. He put his arm around her, "And Larissa?"

She began sobbing, "She's…she has a severe concussion…she was unconscious when they found her…said the seatbelt and airbag saved her…but she could have long-lasting injuries," she cried.

Ryan held her as she cried. "She's a trooper Shar. She'll pull through; she always does," he said softly.

"Code blue! Curtain area 4," one of the doctors yelled.

Sharpay stood up, "Larissa."

Ryan managed to sit Sharpay back down, "You need to stay here right now…"

"Ryan my baby has a code blue! Don't you know what that is?" She yelled.

Gabi stood up, "I can go check on her," she said quietly.

Ryan nodded as he held Sharpay in his arms.

Gabi walked over to where the doctors and nurses were and peeked into the room. She could see a person…but that person couldn't be Larissa. This person was too tall. She looked into the next room and saw Larissa lying on the bed, the machine still beeping. "Oh thank goodness," she said to herself. She walked back out to the waiting area and put her hand on Sharpay's back. "Sharpay…"

* * *

**Sorry for the dramatic chapter…and that isn't a complete cliffhanger if you think about it…we know what Gabi saw. Please review and suggestions are welcome. Thanks and I apologize if the writing wasn't very good; as I said in the A/N, I'm rather sad right now. And I'll put more James and Katie in the next chapter.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thank you for the reviews! I noticed that there was some confusion with the ending of the chapter. What I am going to write in this chapter should clear things up a bit…I hope! ;-)**

**A/N: I got all the medical stuff I'm talking about here from my mom the nurse…she used to work in a critical care unit in the hospital. **

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 36**_

_Gabi walked over to where the doctors and nurses were and peeked into the room. She could see a person…but that person couldn't be Larissa. This person was too tall. She looked into the next room and saw Larissa lying on the bed, the machine still beeping. "Oh thank goodness," she said to herself. She walked back out to the waiting area and put her hand on Sharpay's back. "Sharpay…"_

Sharpay, who had been crying in Ryan's arms looked up, "Please…don't let her be…"

Gabi sat down beside Sharpay and turned her around so she was now looking at Gabi. "No, she's not…it wasn't Larissa that coded Sharpay," she said softly.

Relief spilled over Sharpay's face. She then began to tense up again, "But they said…curtain area 4. That's where Larissa is," she said as more tears began to stream down her face.

"Yes, she is in curtain _area _4, but it was the person in the next curtain over who coded," she said as she took Sharpay's hand. "Larissa is still sleeping."

Sharpay nodded, "Thank you Gabi," she said softly as she hugged her best friend and sister-in-law. "I…I need to go see Troy," she said as she began to stand up. As she did, however, she began to feel woozy from everything that had gone on that day.

Ryan took her in his arms, "Maybe you should just sit here for a while…"

"No!" She took a deep breath, "I mean no," she said in a calmer tone, "I need to see him…if you could just…help me over there…"

He nodded, "Of course." Ryan assisted Sharpay over to the area in which Troy was in. But for some odd reason, they couldn't get through. "Maybe they're still helping that person who coded," he offered.

"Maybe."

"I need a doctor over here, stat!" A nurse yelled from the curtain area that was exactly where Larissa was.

"No!" Sharpay could feel her muscles begin to collapse again.

"Maybe they just need to give her more medication for something," he said, trying to keep Sharpay calm.

"I need to see my baby…now!"

Ryan looked around and finally saw someone who would be able to talk some sense into her. He helped her over to him, "Troy."

Troy looked up, the same worried expression on his face. "What is going on with my daughter Ryan?" He then looked at Sharpay and handed Sam to Ryan so he could hold Sharpay. (Well you know what I mean by 'hold'…I don't actually mean hold her like a baby…okay you get the picture.)

As soon as Ryan placed Sam back in his carrier, he rushed over to a doctor who was heading into Larissa's room. "What is happening to her," he demanded.

"I'm sorry sir but that information is for family members…."

"I'm her uncle! Her mother is my sister. Now tell me what is going on with my niece. Please."

The doctor nodded, "Well she seems to be having some internal bleeding from the accident; the other doctor who tended to her when she first came in believes that it may be that her spleen has ruptured," he explained.

A look of horror could be seen on Ryan's face. "W-What do you normally do about that?"

"Well if it is in fact her spleen that ruptured, we are going to have to operate as soon as possible to remove it."

"Oh my G-d…" Ryan didn't know what to think. How was he supposed to go back and tell his sister and brother-in-law that their daughter may have a ruptured spleen? "C-Could you please tell them? They're worried sick and…"

He nodded, "I was just on my way to do that after I had a look at the x-rays taken." He walked into the room Larissa was in.

"Thank you." Ryan just stood there and waited for the doctor to come back out. Five minutes later…something that seemed more like 5 hours to Ryan, the doctor emerged from the room. Ryan looked at him, "Well?"

"It is in fact…well I should tell her parents," he said as he walked over to Troy and Sharpay, Ryan right behind him.

Troy who was holding a sobbing Sharpay looked up, "Hey the doctor's here; maybe he can help," he said gently.

Sharpay wiped her eyes and looked at the doctor expectantly. She then looked at Ryan who had a solemn look on his face. "No…no…"

"Mr. and Mrs. Bolton," the doctor began, "Your daughter has been experiencing some internal bleeding and…"

"What?" Troy exclaimed, nearly leaping out of the bed he was in.

"We have detected that she has a ruptured spleen," he continued, "And…"

"Ruptured…as in ripped or torn," Sharpay who was now on the brink of a full out nervous breakdown asked.

He nodded, "Yes ma'am. But this can be stopped," he said quickly trying to reassure the two.

Sharpay looked over at Ryan who nodded, "He's right Shar," he said as he walked over to his sister.

"How can it be stopped," Troy asked.

"Well we would need to get her to the OR and remove her spleen. That is the only way the bleeding will stop," he said.

"Remove her spleen?" Sharpay looked completely horrified.

"People can lead perfectly normal lives without their spleen," he said. "The only repercussion is that she may experience is a lower white cell count."

"What does that mean," Sharpay asked as she clung to Troy.

"Her immune system may not function as it used to; she may be more prone to catching colds or the flu…"

Sharpay nodded as she could feel herself relax; although she was still extremely scared and worried for her daughter, she knew that as long as the doctors knew exactly what was wrong and were able to fix it, that things would be okay.

"The only thing we need from the two of you is for you to sign the consent forms so we can operate as soon as possible to stop the bleeding."

"O-Of course," Troy said. "Can we see her first?"

He nodded, "Yes you can." The doctor had an orderly bring a wheelchair in the room for Troy even though he was perfectly capable of walking; but he wasn't about to argue with the doctors now.

"Thank you," Sharpay said. She turned to Ryan and hugged him, "Thank you."

He nodded, "You know I'm always here for you."

"I know." Sharpay glanced over at Sam, "Do you think you could maybe…"

"Watch him for a while? Yes." Ryan picked the carrier up and hugged Sharpay once more. "She'll be just fine Shar. She's a trooper."

"Yeah." She followed the doctor and Troy into Larissa's room. Tears welled up in her eyes when she saw that she was no longer breathing on her own. "Larissa," she said as she hurried over to her daughter's side. She picked up her limp arm and kissed her hand. "Mommy's here…and so is daddy," she said quietly. "You're going to be fine." She looked at the doctor, "Why isn't she breathing on her own?"

"We normally do that before a surgery," he said.

She nodded and looked back down at Larissa and kissed her head. She then moved so Troy could be by his daughter.

Troy kissed her hand, "It's daddy honey," he said trying to keep it together. "The doctors are going to make you feel all better; there isn't anything to be afraid of."

The doctor walked over to the nurse and took the form from her, "If you would please sign here…"

"The consent form," Sharpay asked.

"Yes ma'am. We just need you to sign here and for your husband to sign here." He pointed out two separate lines.

Sharpay took the pen and paper and signed the form and then handed it to Troy to sign. "When are you going to take her upstairs?"

"Just as soon as your husband finishes signing the form we can take her."

She nodded, "Thank you."

Troy took a deep breath as he watched the doctor and two nurses lift Larissa up off the bed and on to a gurney. "We'll be right there when they're finished honey." He wiped his eyes, "Why isn't she awake, damn it?"

"Troy."

"No! I want to know why she isn't awake!"

"The concussion caused her to pass out and she just hasn't woken up from that yet," the doctor explained as he walked over to Larissa and checked her vitals before giving the nurses permission to move her out of the room.

* * *

Troy had officially been released from the hospital since he had only suffered several scrapes and bruises. He and Sharpay decided to check on the other kids before going upstairs. To their surprise the doctors said that all three would be able to go home that day. However, considering the circumstances, they would be going home with Troy's parents rather than with their own since Troy and Sharpay were staying at the hospital to be with Larissa. 

"There we go," Sharpay said as she lifted Kayleigh up off the bed and carried her into the waiting area. Troy was too sore to carry any of the children so he decided to wheel Ana out to the waiting area and then come back for Zach.

"Mommy will Larissa be okay," Kayleigh asked as she and Sharpay entered the waiting area.

"She's going to be just fine sweetie."

Jason who was reading a magazine looked up, "Kayleigh."

Kelsi bolted up, "Huh?" She looked in front of her and saw Sharpay carrying the little girl into the room. "Kayleigh! Oh I'm so glad you're okay," she said as she scrambled to her feet and hugged her.

Kayleigh nodded, "Larissa is sick…"

Kelsi sighed, "I know honey but she is going to be okay."

Jack walked over to Sharpay and took Kayleigh from her, "How are you feeling sweetie," he asked as he held her in his arms.

"It hurts here." She pointed to her ribs which had been bruised from the accident.

"Well you are one brave little girl, you know that? I don't think I would be able to be as brave as you," Cindy said as she walked over to Jack.

Ana soon joined her extended family and showed them her cast. "It's my favorite color," she said as she admired it.

"Yeah…it sure is," Gabi said, trying not to lose it. Never in her life had four members of her family under the age of 13 been so sick…at the same time. "Green is definitely your color."

Just then David and his mother came into the ER. "Mrs. Bolton!"

Sharpay turned around, "David?"

"I'm sorry," David's mom said. "It's just…well we saw on the news that there had been a car accident and when the reporter said that it involved a father and four of his children…well David put 2 and 2 together and insisted that we make sure it wasn't you and…"

"It's okay," Sharpay said giving David a sympathetic smile.

"Where is she," he demanded.

"David," his mom said exasperated.

Sharpay shook her head, "No it's all right." She looked at David, "Well David…she um…she needs to have some surgery," Sharpay said as lightly as possible. The last thing she wanted was to upset the incredibly sweet young man who was so worried about his friend…girlfriend.

David just stood there, not knowing what to do. "Why does she need surgery?"

"Okay it's time to go," his mom said when she saw that Sharpay looked as though she was about to start crying. "We will talk to you in a couple of days…and Larissa is in our thoughts and prayers," she said gently to Sharpay.

"Thank you," she said. After they left, Sharpay turned to Troy, "I want to go upstairs."

He nodded, "All right."

They kissed the kids goodbye and promised them that they could come visit Larissa the next morning.

* * *

**Three Hours Later…**

Sharpay sat in the waiting area of the Operating Room. She had nearly fallen asleep several times but every time she made sure to wake herself up. She didn't want to be sleeping when the doctor came out to tell her and Troy that Larissa was out of surgery…or that something had happened. She could feel her eyes getting heavy again and begin to close. Just before they did, she heard the door open. She turned to Troy who was sleeping from the pain medication he was given. "Troy. Wake up Troy," she said as she shook him.

"Hmm? What's wrong," he asked groggily.

"Someone's coming…"

The door opened and the doctor came out and walked over to them.

* * *

**I'd write more but there is a HUGE thunderstorm (again) going on right now and I'm afraid that we might lose power or the internet or…something so I am going to end it here to be on the safe side. **

**Anyway how do you think Larissa is? And yes my evil streak is continuing. ;-) How do you think Larissa's surgery went? Please review and suggestions are welcome. Thanks.**

**P.S. – I know I said I'd have Katie/James, but I got wrapped up in this 'storyline,' hehe. **


	37. Chapter 37

**Thanks to everyone who suggested what should happen with Larissa. I already had something in mind but I wanted to hear what you all had to say.**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 37**_

Sharpay watched intently as the doctor walked over to her and Troy. She could tell something wasn't right. This caused her to squeeze Troy's hand even harder.

Troy placed his free arm around Sharpay and looked at the doctor, "How is she? Was the surgery successful?"

The doctor took a deep breath, "Well the actual surgery was fine but…"

"'But'? There's a 'but,'" Sharpay said as she gripped Troy's hand again.

The doctor motioned for the two to sit down, "The surgery went perfectly well; we were able to remove her spleen and avoid any infection," he explained.

"Then what happened," Troy asked.

"Well right before we were about to close, we noticed that there was some bleeding…possibly from the removal of her spleen."

Sharpay took a sharp breath in, "So what are you saying?"

"Because of the bleeding, this has caused her to lose a lot of blood. Therefore we are going to need to do a transfusion."

"Transfusion," Troy said, gripping Sharpay's hand.

He nodded, "Yes sir. We are going to have to test the two of you to see if either of you is AB Negative. That is your daughter's blood type."

Sharpay placed her head in her hands and then looked up at the doctor, "She's adopted; I highly doubt that neither Troy nor myself would be a match," she said as tears began to flow from her eyes again.

"Well…do you know of any blood relatives she may have?"

Troy looked up, "Her sister Ana. We adopted the two at the same time and they are sisters," he said as he gave Sharpay a hopeful look.

The doctor nodded, "Very good then; I'll need to get her here as soon as possible to see if she is a match."

Troy took out his cell phone and dialed his parent's house where the kids were staying. He explained to his father what was going on and that Ana needed to get to the hospital right away. Jack told him that he would bring Ana over as soon as he could.

"Well," Sharpay said when she saw Troy walk back over to her and the doctor.

"My dad said he would bring Ana over."

She nodded and hugged him, "Please let her be a match," she said as more tears threatened to fall.

* * *

**Katie and James…**

The two sat down on the park bench. (A/N: It is not very late in the day since the accident happened in the morning)

James placed his arm around Katie, "Today was…great," he said as he let her rest her head on his shoulder.

She smiled, "Yeah; I had a great time today," she said as she looked at him. "I just…I wish we lived in the same state, you know?" She placed her head back on his shoulder.

James thought for a moment. Should he tell her? He wasn't even sure if it was going to happen yet and neither were his parents.

Katie looked up at him, "James? What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath, "Um…well nothing's certain yet but…" He sighed, "Promise you won't tell anyone about this?"

She nodded, "I promise."

He let out a long breath, "Okay…well my mom might get a promotion."

She now had a confused look on her face. How was this secret? "Um…okay, that's great."

James shook his head, "No, that's not the secret," he said seeing her confused face. "The thing is…well she…her job might move her to New Mexico," he said in one breath.

Katie's eyes grew wide, "Really? But why New Mexico?"

He shrugged, "From what she and my dad told us the partner lab is here in New Mexico…in Albuquerque to be exact," he said as he bit his lip. She had to keep this a secret; she just had to.

A smile came across her face, "Oh my gosh that is so cool!" She hugged him, "I hope she gets transferred here."

"Yeah me too," he said quietly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…well my dad would have to quit his job as coaching the college basketball team and he loves that job. It's caused some…tension at home."

"I'm sorry," she said as she took his hand.

"Thanks…I think it'll be okay though. He was saying something about seeing if he could get a job as a coach here since the high school might need a new coach next year," he explained.

Katie smiled as something had just occurred to her, "You know…if you guys do move here you and I would go to the same high school?"

He smiled, "I know and that is one of the things I'm looking forward to." He stood up and extended his hand out to her and helped her up.

"So…" she said as they walked through the park, "Any other little secrets I should know about?"

He thought for a moment, "Well Jen has this huge crush on some guy in her class who is a jerk. Every time she mentions him my parents cringe," he said with a smirk. "So she has sort of been seeing him secretly."

Katie chuckled, "I wonder what your parents will do when they find out…because parents find out EVERYTHING," she said rolling her eyes.

He nodded, "I have a feeling that she's going to be grounded for a while."

"Yeah…anyway…"

Before she could continue, James leaned in closely and kissed her gently on the lips. He quickly retreated, "I…I'm sorry. That just sort of happened."

"Well I liked it," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him back.

After a few moments of looking at one another and kissing off and on, James slowly pulled away, "We should probably get back to your parent's house…"

"Yeah I guess."

As they walked out of the park and down the street, James looked over at her and stopped her, "Please don't tell anyone what I just told you. Promise?"

She nodded and hugged him, "Yes I promise. I won't tell anyone. I just hope it comes true."

"So do I," he said as they began walking towards Katie's house.

* * *

Jack walked into the family room where Ana was watching TV. He walked over to her and sat down, "How does your arm feel?"

She looked up, "Its okay I guess. Is Larissa okay?"

"Well that is what I need to talk to you about. Your sister is pretty sick and she needs something called a blood transfusion."

Ana simply looked at him, completely lost, "Huh?"

"Basically the doctors need to test to see if you and Larissa have the same blood type."

Ana was still lost. What on earth was he talking about? The same blood type; what did that mean? Everyone had red blood…what else was there to know about it? One thing she did understand, however, was that her sister was quite ill. She would do anything to help her, "Okay," she said quietly.

He smiled softly and hugged her. "Come on, I'll explain on the way to the hospital."

Cindy walked over to the two, "We'll see you later honey," she said hugging her. "Good luck sweetie."

"Um…thank you?"

Jack took her hand and walked her out to the car and drove to the hospital.

* * *

"She's right in here," the nurse said as she led Troy and Sharpay into Larissa's room. She had been in recovery for half an hour but would have to go into another room for the transfusion.

Troy and Sharpay walked into the room and looked at Larissa whose eyes were still closed. As Sharpay looked at her, she couldn't help but to notice all the machines she was hooked up to. She tried her best not to cry, but it proved to be impossible.

"My poor baby," she said as she walked over to Larissa and sat in the chair beside the bed. She placed her hand on Larissa's.

Larissa could feel something touch her hand. She didn't know what it was but it was something that was warm and soothing; she wanted to open her eyes and tried…but she couldn't. Why couldn't she open them? What was going on here? She took a deep breath and tried once again. This time she succeeded…but all she saw was a big bright light. _Oh my G-d I'm dead. I can't be dead! This can't happen. I have to wake up. Don't let me die, please!_

Troy looked at Larissa and smiled softly; her eyes were now open and she seemed to be staring at the light on the ceiling. "Sharpay look."

Sharpay looked over at Larissa and smiled, "Larissa you're awake!"

_Huh? Who said that? Wait I know that voice. Mom? Ouch, this hurts. I can barely turn my head. It is mom! And dad's here too! Hi mom! Wait a minute; they can't hear me. I need to talk. What is that thing in my mouth keeping me from talking? And why do I feel like I'm going to choke? Who is that behind mom?_

The doctor walked into the room, "Ah, I see you have woken up Larissa," he said in an upbeat tone.

"Is there any chance that you can maybe take that tube out of her throat," Sharpay asked. "She is probably breathing on her own now."

_Yes! I am! Listen to my mom; she knows. Maybe I'll try nodding. Then he'll know. Uh-huh, I can breathe on my own; I can even nod my head._

"I don't see why not," he said when he saw Larissa nod her head. He got a nurse into the room and removed the mouthpiece that was on Larissa. "All right Larissa I'm going to need to you take a deep breath in and then blow out as hard as you can. Do you think you can do that?"

She nodded.

"All right." He looked at the nurse who nodded. "When I count to three, you take the deep breath in and when I say 'now' let it out."

She nodded.

"Here we go. One, two, three!" Larissa took the deepest breath in that she could and held it. "All right Larissa," he said as he grabbed the tube. "Now."

Larissa breathed out as hard as she could. She nearly gagged as the tube made its way out of her throat and mouth. Once it was out, she coughed uncontrollably.

The nurse walked over and handed her a cup of water with a straw. "Try drinking some of this very slowly," she said.

Larissa nodded and did as she was told. Her coughing slowed down and her breathing slowly began to return to normal. "M-Mom," she said rather hoarsely.

Sharpay smiled with tears in her eyes and nodded, "It's me honey," she said as she hugged her. "You're going to be okay."

It was then Troy's turn to hug his daughter. "I am so sorry sweetie."

Larissa looked at her dad and shook her head, "It…wasn't…your fault," she said slowly.

Jack and Ana walked into the waiting area of the OR. "Excuse me," he said to the woman behind the desk, "We're looking for Larissa Bolton. She just got out of surgery and…"

She nodded, "She is in room 512," she said. "This way please."

Jack took Ana's hand and followed the woman. "Thank you," he said once they reached the door. He peaked in and saw that Larissa was awake. "Ready to see your sister?" He had explained to Ana what she would probably see when she was going to see Larissa.

"Yes," she said nearly pushing past him. All she wanted was to see her sister; she had to see for herself that Larissa was all right. She walked into the room, "Larissa!"

Larissa looked over and smiled weakly, "Hi."

Jack smiled and walked over to his granddaughter, "How are you feeling honey?"

"Like I just got run over by a truck." She bit her lip when she realized what she had just said. "I mean…"

"Its okay honey," Troy said.

She nodded and coughed once more, "Why is Ana here," she said her voice still hoarse.

"I'm going to give you blood," she said.

"Uh…okay?" Larissa looked at her parents confused. "Why does she want to give me blood?"

The doctor, who had left the room while Troy and Sharpay reunited with Larissa walked back into the room hearing the tail end of the conversation. "Well Larissa during the surgery you lost some blood and you need that blood so you can make a full recovery. The only thing is you need blood that is the same type as yours."

"My mom and dad have the same kind of blood."

"No sweetie," we don't," Sharpay said her eyes filling with tears.

"You have a special blood type called AB Negative honey. That is the kind of blood you need," Troy tried to explain.

Ana looked up, "Do I match?"

"That's what we're about to find out," the doctor said.

Troy looked at Sharpay who nodded. He walked over to Ana, "Honey do you remember last month when you had to get that blood test?"

She nodded, "Yes."

"Well that's what the doctor needs to do right now. It will be just like last month."

She nodded nervously, "Okay," she said in a shaky voice.

Troy took her hand and led her out of the room and followed the nurse into another room.

Several minutes later, the two came back. "We have an extremely brave daughter," Troy said proudly of Ana.

"I want to help Larissa feel better."

The doctor walked back into the room holding a piece of paper. "I have Ana's results here," he said.

"And?" Sharpay asked.

**

* * *

****Ah, the evil streak continues, LOL. I didn't want Larissa to be in any MAJOR danger so I figured a blood transfusion would work. Actually if one doesn't get a transfusion when it is needed, the person could die. **

**So is Ana a match? Will James's family move back to Albuquerque? Please review and suggestions are welcome! Thanks.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hello! Yes it's me again. Did you really think I forgot about this story? Good. **

**A/N: I am really thinking about ending it soon mainly because #1, this is the 38th chapter! And #2, I just think that it's time. Yes, time for the series to end. It's sad for me too; I shall miss all of these characters dearly! But I am just way too busy. But who knows, something may happen…**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 38**_

_The doctor walked back into the room holding a piece of paper. "I have Ana's results here," he said._

"_And?" Sharpay asked._

The doctor simply looked at everyone before answering. He took a deep breath, "And she is a match." He watched all of the relieved and happy glances everyone exchanged with one another.

Sharpay turned around and hugged Troy, "Thank goodness," she said into his shoulder. "Our baby is going to be okay."

He smiled and hugged her back. "Yes, Larissa's going to be just fine," he said looking over at Larissa who was still a bit out of it, yet still with it enough to know that something good had just happened.

Ana walked over to her parents, "Mom is this a good thing?"

Sharpay let go of Troy and knelt down to Ana's height, "Yes honey it's a very good thing."

She smiled, "So I get to help Larissa feel better?"

"Yes sweetie you do," Troy said as he kissed her forehead.

"Cool."

"When did you want to do the transfusion," Sharpay asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Well I want to do it as soon as possible since Larissa isn't very strong and the sooner we do it the better chance she has of recovering faster," the doctor explained.

Troy nodded, "All right." He walked over to Larissa, "You are going to be just fine honey."

She nodded, "Because Ana's blood is going to help me?"

"Yes." He gave her a small smile.

"But…what if something happens," she asked, suddenly growing apprehensive about the procedure.

The doctor, having overheard this comment walked over to Larissa, "About 99 percent of these procedures go as planned Larissa. Chances are you will be just fine as will your sister."

"But there is that 1 percent…"

"Larissa you're going to be just fine," Sharpay said as she walked to the other side of the bed. "Besides your dad and I will be there the whole time."

"You will?"

"Of course we will," Troy said as he kissed her head.

She nodded, "Okay dad."

* * *

**Evans Home…**

(What, you think I forgot about them? Ha! Sorry…)

Dinner was practically silent. Ryan and Gabi told the kids and Gabi's mom about what had happened in the car on the way home and except for Liam, who really didn't understand what his parents were talking about, they were all in shock.

"Is Larissa going to be okay," Angie asked for the 3rd time.

Gabi smiled, "Yes honey she will be just fine. I'm sure she'll wake up in no time from her surgery."

They had yet to be told that she needed a blood transfusion.

"She isn't going to die is she," Michael asked his dad.

Ryan shook his head, "No she will be fine once the surgery is over, just like your mom said."

Just then the phone rang. "I'll get it," Theresa said as she got up. She walked over to the phone and pushed the talk button. "Hello?" She nodded, "Okay, he's right here." She walked over to Ryan, phone in hand. "It's Aunt Sharpay."

He took the phone from her, "Thank you."

"Welcome."

"Hey Sharpay," he said into the phone.

"Ryan I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you guys at dinner but…"

He shook his head, "It's fine, don't worry about it. So how is Larissa doing?"

She sighed, "Well her surgery went just fine…it's what happened right after the surgery…"

He stood up and walked over to the counter, "What happened Shar? Is she okay?"

"She…well she started to bleed…a lot and they have to do a blood transfusion on her," she said as more tears streamed down her face. Even though she was told that Larissa would have a 99 percent chance of making a full recovery, just talking about it made her frightened.

"They do?" He rubbed his temples, "I'm so sorry Shar…but wait. For a transfusion, don't they need the other person to be of the same blood type?"

"Yes."

"Then how…"

She took a deep breath, "They tested Ana and she was a match," she said in one breath.

Although he could barely make out what she just said, he heard the words "tested" and "match." "Well that's great; so when are they going to do the transfusion?"

"They want to do it as soon as possible which probably won't be for another hour or two."

He nodded, "All right well do you need anything?"

"No…well…"

"What?"

"A few prayers maybe," she said wiping her eyes.

"Sure. Anything to help her get better."

"Thanks Ryan. Listen I have to go. The doctor is about to tell Ana what's going to happen and I want to be with her when he does."

"All right, thanks for letting us know and keep us updated okay?"

"Sure thing," she said before hanging up.

Ryan placed the phone back on the hook and walked back to the table and sat down, a solemn look on his face.

Gabi noticed this right away, "Ryan? What happened?"

"Larissa…she needs a transfusion," he said as he looked down at his food and then up at Gabi.

"Oh…wow," was all Gabi could say.

"What's a transfoodson," Angie asked.

Gabi tried not to smirk, "Transfusion and it's when one person gives someone else blood."

"Eww!"

"Angela," Ryan warned.

"When," Theresa asked.

"Very soon; probably within the next couple of hours."

Gabi had a confused look on her face, "Wait who…"

"Ana."

"Ana? But…oh of course," she said.

"Yep…so," he said wanting to change the subject, "How was your day?"

"Boring," Theresa answered. "But…" She smiled softly.

Gabi looked at her, "But what?"

"Josh called her," Michael said in a sing-song voice.

"Hey!"

He shrugged, "He did."

"Josh? Who's Josh," Ryan asked.

"No one," Theresa said with a grin.

Ryan looked to Gabi for help.

"He's the boy she has a crush on remember?"

He nodded, "Right, this month's crush."

"Dad!"

"What? I'm only saying what I know to be true. You seem to have a crush on a different boy every month. So I guess August is Josh month."

"Ryan that sounds ridiculous you know that," Gabi said with a grin. "So what did he call about?"

"They're going out on Saturday," Michael supplied.

Theresa gave him a look that seemed to say, 'I'm going to kill you.' "Shut up."

"Theresa."

"Sorry…but yeah, we're going to see a movie on Saturday." She looked from Gabi to Ryan, "Is that okay?"

"I guess," Gabi said. "But isn't this the same boy who only a couple of months ago said something that made you cry for about a week?"

She nodded, "Yes but he's changed. He's nicer now."

"I don't know Theresa," Ryan said.

"Dad."

"What? I don't want you to go out with someone who 'changes' like that," he said as he snapped his fingers.

"Please?" She looked from Gabi to Ryan.

* * *

**Hospital...**

Ana and Sharpay walked back into Larissa's room. Ana was holding on to her mom's hand for dear life. The doctor had just explained what was going to happen which basically freaked her out.

"I don't want a big needle mommy," she said timidly.

"Honey I know you're scared but the doctor said that you'll still be asleep so you won't see any of it anyway."

She shook her head, "I want to go home."

"What's wrong," Troy asked as he walked over to the two.

"She's a little scared about the procedure," Sharpay said.

He nodded, "Well honey you don't have anything to be worried about; besides not only will Larissa be there but we will too."

Larissa looked over at Ana, "Come here."

Ana slowly walked over to her sister and sat down next to her.

"I'm scared too," she said to her sister. "But we'll both be there and so will mom and dad."

"You're scared," Ana asked in disbelief.

She nodded, "Yes. I just woke up and I am going to have to go back to sleep. Do you really think I want to do that?"

"But the doctor said you need this to feel better."

"I know…that doesn't mean I'm not scared though."

Sharpay smiled at the interaction between her two eldest daughters. "I think she's almost ready," she said quietly to Troy.

"I think so too."

His cell phone then rang. "I'll be right back." He walked out into the waiting area and answered the phone.

Sharpay walked over to her daughters, "Feeling a little braver now?"

Ana nodded, "Larissa's scared too mommy."

"Well you both are going to be fine," Sharpay said.

Just then Larissa's eyes began to close and one of the machines she was hooked up to began to beep very rapidly.

* * *

**Okay, the evil streak is still there. Mwahahahaha. So what happened? And what do you think will happen with Theresa and this Josh person? Please review and suggestions are more than welcome. Thanks!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hello, I'm baaaack. I'm really sorry it has taken me so long to update! I have had an incredibly busy week, not to mention the fact that I think I had some very minor heat exhaustion from a major heat wave we had. **

**Anyway this is the last chapter of the story. Please make sure to read the Author's Note at the bottom. Thank you all for reading this story and the series in general! **

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

**

* * *

**_**Keeping it Together, Ch. 39**_

_Just then Larissa's eyes began to close and one of the machines she was hooked up to began to beep very rapidly._

Ana just stared at her sister, "Larissa what's wrong?" But there was no answer. She looked up at her parents who looked horrified.

"Oh dear G-d no," Sharpay said as tears began to stream down her face. "Larissa wake up," she said, her voice breaking.

Troy ran and got a nurse. As he did, he couldn't help but to feel a few tears slide down his face. This could not be happening to his little girl, it just couldn't. He took a deep breath and found a nurse and told her what was happening. He watched as she told Larissa's doctor what Troy had just told her and soon ran back into the room behind the doctor.

The doctor looked at Troy, "You all need to leave the room."

"I'm not leaving my daughter," Sharpay yelled.

"She's in good hands," Troy said as he tried his best to keep from breaking down. He had to be strong here; his family depended on him right now.

Too scared to argue, Sharpay simply grabbed Troy's hand and followed him into the hall right outside the room.

But someone was missing.

"Troy where's Ana," Sharpay asked him.

He looked around, "I thought you were holding her."

She shook her head, "No; she was holding my hand but let go." She looked into the room and saw Ana still in there, just looking at her sister.

Ana had been standing against the wall while this was going on. She was too scared to move. What was happening to her sister? Why did she suddenly stop talking? She watched as the doctor took a needle and placed it in the IV. What was he putting in there? She heard something about adrenaline but she had no idea what that was. She could feel a few tears flow down her cheeks as the doctor stopped what he was doing. Was he crazy? He had to help Larissa feel better! "Help my sister," she could hear herself yell to him.

The doctor looked at the nurse, not hearing Ana. "All right she's stabilized for now; we need to do that transfusion as soon as possible. This can't wait another hour," he said to her.

"When is she going to wake up," the nurse asked him.

He shrugged, "She seems to be in another coma. I only hope that the transfusion will speed up the process for her to wake up."

He left the room with the nurse to tell Troy and Sharpay.

Ana walked over to her sister and took her hand. She wiped her eyes and placed her head on Larissa stomach. She could feel it moving up and down. "Please wake up Larissa," she said quietly.

* * *

"A coma," Sharpay yelled through her tears. "How did this happen?"

"She needs to have the transfusion within a few minutes Mrs. Bolton," the doctor said. "Her body is growing weaker and weaker without that blood. I'm afraid that if she does not get the transfusion within the next hour that…"

Troy stopped him, "Please…don't say it," he said as he held on to Sharpay's hand.

He nodded, "At any rate, she needs the transfusion soon."

"Thank you," Troy said as he held Sharpay.

* * *

Larissa felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed something very odd. She was not in her room. Where was she? All she could see was white all around her.

"_Larissa," _the person who tapped her on the shoulder said.

She looked up and saw a woman who looked very much like her mom. "Mom?"

The woman shook her head, "No Larissa I'm your mom's mom; I'm your grandmother," she said as she sat down beside Larissa.

She shook her head, "No you're not. She died."

"Yes honey I am; and yes I did…"

"I'm dead?" Larissa looked around her, "I don't want to be dead!" She exclaimed. "I want my mom and dad! I want to…"

She placed her hand on Larissa's shoulder, "You're not dead Larissa; in fact I was just going to ask you what you're doing up here. It's not time for you to be up here."

Larissa shrugged, "It doesn't hurt anymore up here," she said gesturing to her body. "My cuts are gone and I feel better."

Her grandmother smiled sadly, "While I'm glad you're feeling better, there are several people who are not feeling better. Your mom and dad need you right now and so do your sisters and brothers…and so many other people."

"You know my brothers and sisters," she asked confused. "But I thought you never wanted to see any of us."

"It wasn't that honey; many things had gone wrong…but I do know about your family. How do you think your mom was able to have your baby brother?"

"You helped her?"

She nodded, "I did and now I'm going to help you."

"How?"

"Just close your eyes."

Larissa complied and closed her eyes. Very faintly in the distance she could hear someone.

"_Goodbye Larissa, I'll be seeing you many, many years from now."_

"Grandma," she mumbled. "Wait grandma I'm not ready…"

"Larissa."

Larissa knew that voice. She slowly opened her eyes, "Grandma." She looked around and saw that she was not with her grandma anymore. She looked up, "Mom?"

"Hi honey," Sharpay said as she kissed Larissa's forehead. "Welcome back."

"What happened?"

"You scared us for a moment there," Troy said as he sat down on the other side of the bed. "The doctor said you needed that transfusion so…you had it," he said in a relieved tone.

"Where's grandma?"

"She's with your brothers and sister at home," Sharpay said.

She shook her head, "No, my other grandma."

Sharpay looked at her, "Honey your other grandmother is…"

"Dead. I know that. I saw her. She said that it wasn't time for me to be up there," she said pointing to the ceiling. "She said that I had to come back here."

Sharpay could feel her eyes moisten again. So her mom was still in her life…sort of. "Thank you," she said quietly as she closed her eyes and looked up.

* * *

The days of summer were coming to an end. Larissa was on her way to making a full recovery.

Ana was going to be getting her cast off in a few weeks; something she was very excited for considering the fact that she really wanted to start playing basketball again. She didn't care that the doctor had told her that it would probably take a while for her arm to gather up enough strength for her to play. She was ready to play.

Zach and Kayleigh, who had not been too hurt, were just fine. Kayleigh convinced Sharpay and Troy to put her in an acting class once the school year started up again. They agreed on one condition: she had to play fairly and not act like a snob as she had done in the past to her sister.

Zach was able to convince his parents to allow him to tryout for the basketball team at the community center; since he was going to be entering 3rd grade, he was now old enough to do so. Ana decided to follow suit and tryout as well since the teams were not only boys or only girls; like camp, they were mixed.

Troy and Sharpay were just happy for their kids.

* * *

Theresa had gone to the movies with Josh and found that her dad was right; he was a complete jerk. She found out that he had gone out with her on a dare. But not all was lost; as she got up to leave she bumped into someone else; someone she did not recognize. She tried her best to wipe her tears away so he wouldn't notice, but he did. Without thinking, she ended up telling him (she soon found out his name was Dylan and that he had just moved to Albuquerque) what had just happened. He seemed to be a very caring person. She put her phone away and went back into the theater…this time with Dylan. Josh was a little more than surprised not to mention jealous but Theresa didn't care; she was with someone who was much more mature than both Jordan and Josh combined.

Michael decided to enter (with Ryan and Gabi's permission of course) an art contest and ended up winning first place for his drawing. The judges were quite surprised to find out he was only 9 years old and had such talent. They told Ryan and Gabi to consider putting him in a special art class when school started in the fall.

Angie in the meantime simply enjoyed the last days of camp and the last days of being a kindergartner. For in a few short weeks, she would be in first grade. She found that like her brother she had a special gift: the gift of whining. Not wanting her to start acting like her sister did when she was her age and having the outcome be bleak, (they didn't want to break up again) they knew that this had to be nipped in the bud…and fast.

Liam was a typical two year old; he was happy and was learning new words everyday. Even though they knew he would, Gabi and Ryan didn't want him to grow up.

* * *

Katie had not heard from James for a couple of weeks now; she had emailed him, but he never replied. She tried calling him but she kept getting a message that said the phone number was no longer in service. Was this his way of truly breaking up with her? She slowly began to crawl back into her shell thus worrying her parents.

Maddy on the other hand decided that dancing was her passion. She was actually quite good for a 6 year old and Jason and Kelsi enrolled her in a ballet class. She was doing very well in it and was ecstatic when she found out that her ballet teacher told her that she should try out for _The Nutcracker_ and tryout for the part of Clara.

Kelsi in the meantime was offered a teaching job at the University in the writing department. She would still get to write plays but having a real steady job was something she had wanted for many years. She just never had time to pursue it since she was busy raising her kids.

Jason was still working with Troy at the restaurant but there was about to be a bit of a change. The two found out that since business was so good that if they wanted, they could easily open up a few more restaurants in the area. They would have to think about this, however. It would mean a lot more work but also a lot more income; something neither one really needed but it never hurt.

* * *

Troy put the phone down and looked at Sharpay, "That was Chad. He said that he and Taylor are coming over and that they have a surprise. He also said that everyone else is coming," he said a bit baffled. What was going on?

"Um okay," Sharpay said as she finished nursing Sam. He was now 2 months old and very healthy.

He smiled, "He looks so much like you," Troy said as he looked from Sam to Sharpay.

"He's also got a lot of you in him," she said with a smile.

"Mommy Larissa said she feels sick again," Kayleigh said as she came downstairs.

Sharpay sighed and handed Sam to Troy. She thanked Kayleigh and walked upstairs to the bathroom where Larissa was. The doctor had warned Troy and Sharpay that because of the fact that she had no spleen that her immune system would not be what it once was and that she would be prone to catching nearly anything.

She walked into the bathroom and saw Larissa sitting on the floor in tears. "It's all right honey," she said as she hugged her.

"Why am I always feeling sick," she asked pulling away from her mom.

"Do you remember what the doctor said?"

She nodded.

"How are you feeling right now?"

She shrugged, "A little better I guess."

"Do you think you're up for coming downstairs for a little while? Chad called and said that he and Taylor are coming over; they've got a surprise of some sort."

"Maybe in a few minutes," she said as she turned her attention to the toilet and got sick.

Sharpay just held her hair and rubbed her back. This really wasn't fair but it was better than having her lying in a hospital bed.

"Why are we here," Katie asked for the third time as Jason pulled up to the house.

"I don't know honey; Troy simply called and said to come over here." He was told by Troy who was told by Chad to not tell Katie they were coming.

She reluctantly got out of the car and followed her family to the house.

"…All right, I'll talk to you later we're at my aunt and uncle's…okay bye Dylan," Theresa said as she hung up the phone. Dylan turned out to be the best thing that happened to Theresa since she and Kari made up. She found out that he would be going to high school with her and the two shared several of the same interests.

"Come on Theresa," Angie said as she pulled her sister's arm.

"Ouch! Angie stop it. I'm coming."

"Daddy Theresa's being mean."

"Don't start Angela," he said as he took her hand and walked her up to the front door.

After everyone finished saying their hellos, there was an awkward silence.

"So," Gabi said trying to get some sort of conversation started, "Where's Larissa," she asked Sharpay.

"She'll be down in a bit. She's not feeling very well at the moment."

Just then the doorbell rang, "I'll get it," Troy said. "Hi Ch…" He began. "Zeke?"

"Nice to see you too," he said as he smiled at his very shocked friend.

"Sorry it's just…what are you doing here?" Troy asked, still shocked.

Sharpay walked to the door, "Tay…Zeke? Wow…um hi!" She walked over to hug him. "It's great to see you again."

"Yes well I was in town for something and thought I'd surprise you. But it seems like you guys are waiting for someone else?"

Sharpay nodded, "Chad and Taylor are coming over. But everyone else is here so come on in." She took his hand and led him into the living room, "Look who decided to come over."

Everyone exchanged surprised glances but happily greeted Zeke.

Finally the doorbell rang once more. Sharpay walked over and answered it and greeted Chad and Taylor. She led them along with their kids inside.

Katie, who had been sitting in the corner playing her gameboy, looked up when she heard a familiar voice say her name. "James?"

"You thought I forgot about you?"

She smiled, nearly throwing the gameboy down and ran over to him, "Why don't you ever answer your phone…or reply to my emails?"

He smiled, "Well that's because…"

"We have an announcement," Chad said. He looked at Taylor who just nodded and smiled. "We're moving back to New Mexico."

Katie squealed and hugged James, "So that's why! You have been in the middle of moving!"

He nodded, "Yep; I'm sorry I didn't call but everything just happened so fast…"

"That's great," Kelsi said as she went to hug the two. "So you're coming back to good ole' Albuquerque."

Taylor shook her head, "No we're not moving here; we're moving to the next town over; it's only about 20 minutes away though."

"Well," Sharpay said, "I think this calls for a toast." She and Troy as well as everyone else held up their glasses of what they were drinking. "To being able to keep it all together."

"To keeping it together," everyone said in unison.

_**The End**_

* * *

**Wow, that was a little longer than expected. Anyway yep, that's the end of that story. I hope you enjoyed it! **

**A/N: All right. I had planned on this story being the last in the series, but as I was writing this, I remembered how much I love these characters and how much I'd miss them if I just suddenly stop. True there are about what…6 stories so far but who cares. LOL. **

**What I am getting at is I am probably going to write another sequel. I am going to do this for 2 reasons: 1.) I love writing about these people. 2.) I have seen the reviews and most of them say how sad you guys will be if this series ends. So yeah…this is partially for you all. Now what I need from you are two things: One is a general title for this series. Not for the next story, but I need a series name. Two: I need a plot for the next story, LOL.**

**Oh and speaking of the next story, I probably won't get around to writing it for a little while; I'm just really busy right now and don't have time. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	40. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Don't get excited here; this isn't a preview to my next story. This is an Author's Note. Actually it's more like an apology. I said I was going to write a sequel to this story, but my life has been EXTREMELY HECTIC lately. I haven't had time to sit down and think of ideas. Also, I barely have time to simply sit nowadays. Work is just really hectic as I mentioned above and when I'm not working (which is on the weekend), I'm literally burned out. I have no energy. **

**Also, I do not have any ideas for this story and I don't know when or if I will. With the new school year starting on Monday, I don't have time to think about writing my stories. **

**I am sorry everyone! Believe me if I could, I would be writing right now but as I have said twice now, there aren't any ideas coming to me and time is limited. Please understand! **

**Thank you all for reading the stories, I truly appreciate the fact that you guys liked them so much. :-) **

**Many thanks,**

**Lisa (Lissical)**


End file.
